Babis said the two countries were aligned on the EU’s carbon pricing plans, arguing the bloc should settle the future of its existing ETS1 emissions trading scheme and delay the planned ETS2.
"The only thing that can help our companies immediately is resolving ETS1 and postponing ETS2. And in this respect we fully agree," Babis told a joint news conference in Warsaw.
He said ETS2 would "only worsen" citizens’ lives and that the European Commission must recognise that Central Europe has energy-intensive industries and different conditions from countries such as Spain.
Poland and the Czech Republic would defend their interests in the European Council, which brings together the leaders of the EU's 27 member states, he said.
"We not only have good neighbourly relations, but also common interests when it comes to security, defence and energy," Babis said.
Babis also told reporters that the two countries had completed negotiations on a new bilateral agreement covering internal security and public order. He said he hoped the agreement would be signed soon.
Trade ties
Poland has been the Czech Republic's third-largest trade partner since 2018 and about 900 Czech-owned companies operate there, Babis said. He cited deals such as Skoda Group’s supply of 37 metro trains to Warsaw, worth about PLN 1.3 billion (EUR 300 million).
He said that the Visegrad Group of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary was "functioning again" and thanked Tusk for an invitation to a joint government meeting, saying both sides would seek a date this year.
Earlier, at Prague airport, Babis said he also wanted to discuss the EU’s next budget, on which member states’ positions were "very far apart," as well as energy security and road and rail links, including high-speed rail.
Czech news agency CTK reported that Babis’ government was pushing an extraordinary windfall tax on refineries that would hit Polish energy giant Orlen’s Czech unit, Orlen Unipetrol.
Supporters in parliament have cited a similar measure in Poland as an argument.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP, Polish Radio