EU to make it harder to suspend carbon fee on imports

Brussels: European Union countries agreed on Friday to restrict the circumstances in which the bloc can suspend its carbon emissions fee on imports, potentially helping to provide more certainty for low-carbon investments in the bloc.

EU economy ministers backed the plans with majority support, despite countries including Slovakia, Romania and Lithuania declining to support them.

The EU carbon border levy imposes a fee on the emissions associated with imports of goods, including fertilisers, steel and cement. The world-first policy aims to protect European industries from being undercut by cheaper, more polluting goods from abroad.