Poland’s nationalist and eurosceptic president on Thursday submitted a motion to hold a referendum on EU climate policy, citing the high cost of living in Europe’s largest coal-reliant country.
The centrist ruling coalition criticised the move, with one MP referring to it as “absurd”.
“The Green Deal and the ETS (Emissions Trading System) mean higher energy prices, a decline in the competitiveness of the economy, and the collapse of agricultural production,” President Karol Nawrocki said on X.
The president’s referendum would ask Poles: “Are you in favour of implementing a climate policy that has led to an increase in the cost of living for citizens, and in energy prices, and the costs of conducting business and agricultural activity?”
Ever-wary of Brussels, Nawrocki promised ahead of last year’s presidential elections that he would support Poland’s coal industry, lower energy prices, and withdraw from the ETS.
The government argues that while it should be…
