Call for an ambitious Energy Taxation Directive – Meeting request

On 27 October, UNIFE joined forces with CER, BLOOM Association, Transport & Environment, Seas at Risk, the Blue Marine Foundation, Oceana, and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), to send a joint high-level letter to the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU and other Member States.

The signatories called for a more ambitious revision of the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD), a key piece of legislation currently under discussion which aims to align EU energy taxation with the Union’s climate and energy goals, in view of a possible agreement during the ECOFIN Council on 13 November.

The letter urges the future Danish Presidency to use its leadership to phase out fossil fuel tax exemptions which currently amount to an estimated €46.8 billion in lost public revenue every year. It highlights the unfair competitive situation in which rail - already the cleanest and most energy-efficient mass transport modes - continues to pay energy taxes, while more polluting modes such as aviation remain exempt. The coalition calls for a fair and forward-looking tax framework that supports the transition to zero-emission transport solutions such as electrified rail.