Meloni and Babiš discuss EU emissions quota and budget reform

Reform of emissions quotas

Italy and Czechia have drawn up a joint list of topics for October’s European Union summit, including a reform of the ETS 1 industrial emissions trading system and a review of the EU’s multiannual budget. That is according to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking after talks with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

According to Meloni, both countries propose making industrial emissions quota trading more transparent. At the same time, she stressed, the quota system must not jeopardise Europe’s competitiveness on world markets. Babiš called boosting Europe’s competitiveness a shared key priority for Czechia and Italy, and praised Meloni herself as a significant European leader, commending their cooperation.

EU budget for 2028–2034

The Italian prime minister also sees room for cooperation with Czechia in discussions on the EU’s multiannual financial framework for 2028–2034. Both countries, she said, believe it is essential to keep sufficient funding for the common agricultural policy and cohesion policy, which is meant to narrow the gap between the EU’s weaker and stronger regions. “We won’t achieve competitiveness unless individual regions are put on an equal footing,” Meloni stressed. In her view, the EU budget should also provide funding for the defence industry.

Migration and crises on the EU’s borders

Meloni also highlighted existing cooperation with Czechia on migration, which, she said, has produced results at the EU-wide level too. She described as key the principle that the European Union cannot solve illegal migration if every country simply shifts responsibility onto its neighbours. In addition, the Italian prime minister called on the EU to play a more active role in resolving crises on its borders, such as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz