But France believes such a cap is too low. “From what we understand — from what Germany has signaled, but also from what Commissioner Hoekstra has signaled — there is some discussion around 3 percent,” said the official, like others in this article granted anonymity to speak candidly. “We think it could go beyond that.”
A senior official from one EU government confirmed Hoekstra had mentioned the 3-point limit in discussions with countries.
Officials from two other EU governments, who asked that their countries not be identified, said they had also heard the Commission was leaning toward a 3 percentage point cap, but said the EU executive had not confirmed the figure would be included in the proposal. Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant reported a similar number on Tuesday.
Hoekstra lobbied the two German coalition partners to include carbon credits in their 2040 position, participants in those talks told POLITICO earlier this month. Yet the 3-point figure came from the German side, one participant said.
The European Union’s independent board of scientific advisers recently warned that carbon credits would put the integrity of the EU’s climate goals at risk. The Commission’s vice president for climate and competition issues, Teresa Ribera, has also expressed skepticism.
But for many, including France, the credits are viewed as a way to ease the burden on European industry to cut emissions.
