Prime Minister Fiala after the European Council meeting: Czech Republic rejects the proposal to cut emissions by 90% by 2040
On Thursday 23 October 2025, Prime Minister Petr Fiala attended the European Council meeting in Brussels. The leaders of the Member States discussed increasing the competitiveness of the European economy, further support for Ukraine, strengthening European defence and combating illegal migration. On the sidelines of the summit, the Prime Minister also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The leaders discussed ways to strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy, which included a debate on EU climate policy. The Czech Prime Minister once again rejected the European Commission's proposed climate target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040. The Council addressed the necessary conditions that must be met in order for the discussion on specific objectives to continue. "We have pushed for any future climate target to be accompanied by a revision clause, meaning that it can be reopened and adapted depending on geopolitical, economic and technological developments," said the Prime Minister, adding that the summit conclusions also clearly support the principle of technological neutrality, i.e. a level playing field for the development of nuclear energy.
"A majority of countries are not yet in favour of abolishing ETS 2 emission allowances, but more countries support their postponement. We have done a great job here. We have received confirmation from the European Council in its conclusions that the Commission's proposals to revise ETS 2 are moving in the right direction. These measures are directly based on our proposal I presented to other leaders at the summit in June, which a total of 19 countries signed up for. Thanks to that, the Commission will propose an effective cap of the allowance price, which could be approved by the end of this year. We also pushed for a specific task for the Commission to submit a revision of the car emissions regulation by the end of this year. This opens up space for the Czech Republic to push for the lifting of the ban on internal combustion engines in 2035," said Prime Minister Fiala.
The leaders also agreed on the need to remove unnecessary red tape and improve the business environment. "Yesterday, I signed the Germany-initiated joint letter from the Member States to the President of the European Council on this subject. We need to continue to remove obstacles and unnecessary obligations that hinder the development of our companies. I am also in favour of deregulation, i.e. removing entire regulations where it makes sense in terms of the competitiveness of our businesses," added the Czech Prime Minister.
On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Fiala also held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on further assistance to the invaded country and joint defence projects. The President of Ukraine thanked the Czech Prime Minister for his solidarity and for all the help Ukraine feels every day.
Twenty-six member states expressed support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression, the one exception being Hungary. "The EU continues to fully support Ukraine in confronting Russia's war of aggression. I am pleased that today we have also managed to approve the 19th sanctions package, which, among other things, bans the import of Russian liquefied gas and includes a Czech proposal to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats in the EU. This is one step to prevent Russian agents with diplomatic passports from carrying out activities that undermine the security of European countries." added Petr Fiala.
See conclusions of the European Council.
