Around 40 major German corporations including ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp, and BASF have written to EU leadership calling for a fundamental rethink of climate policy, arguing that EU ETS carbon costs of around EUR 80/tonne are undermining European competitiveness while non-European rivals face little or no equivalent burden. Bavaria's Economy Minister Aiwanger called on the Commission to immediately suspend — and ideally abolish — the EU ETS. Critics note, however, that the same corporations have cumulatively received nearly EUR 464 billion in free ETS certificates since 2005, representing hidden subsidies never available to SMEs, who nonetheless help fund them. The EU Commission plans to present proposals for reorganizing emissions trading next month.

The European Commission has escalated its stainless steel trade dispute with Turkish exporter Çolakoğlu Metalurji to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The case concerns EU anti-circumvention measures on stainless steel sheets and coils originating in Indonesia but shipped from Turkey, and the Commission is seeking to overturn parts of an earlier ruling that favored the Turkish exporter.

According to market sources, the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) concludes its first definitive quarter today with multiple unresolved administrative hurdles. The EU Commission is set to announce the initial CBAM certificate price on April 7, yet country-specific default values remain flawed, hindering reliable cost calculations. Furthermore, the tender for the central trading platform has faced delays, and a backlog of nearly 10,000 companies awaits registration. The system's viability is further challenged by a severe lack of certified emissions validation bodies and looming changes to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) benchmarks, which directly dictate CBAM pricing structures and future allocations.

The European Commission will update Emissions Trading System (ETS) free allocation benchmarks and utilize the Market Stability Reserve to curb carbon price volatility "within days". President von der Leyen announced a medium-term ETS review to establish a "realistic trajectory" for free allowances beyond 2034. The EU is also proposing a $35 billion "ETS Investment Booster" fund to finance decarbonization projects, prioritizing lower-income states. To address soaring energy costs, the Commission plans to allow member states to reduce grid charges for energy-intensive industries and mandate lower taxes on electricity compared to fossil fuels. This follows intense pressure from steelmakers and EU nations demanding an urgent ETS overhaul by July.

According to sources, the European Commission is facing growing institutional pressure for allegedly attempting to sideline the European Parliament to finalize the India trade deal. Following the stall of the Mercosur agreement, accusations are mounting that the Commission is bypassing democratic oversight and parliamentary participation rights in a rush to secure a rare trade policy success story.

On January 9, the Gerber Group formally alerted the European Commission to "significant irregularities" in the new CBAM default values published on December 31, 2025. CEO Thorsten Gerber highlighted specific anomalies in Taiwan's stainless steel segment, noting technically implausible data where semi-finished products were assigned higher emissions than processed ones. The Group also alleged that Taiwan's values appeared to be copied from other origins rather than based on its specific EAF production structure. Warning that such errors create legal and economic uncertainty, the Gerber Group has demanded an immediate correction.