The steady rise in the cost of living has widened the divide between – and within – EU member states over how to tackle climate change and move away from oil, gas and coal.
The development is far from surprising, as higher energy costs have left millions of Europeans struggling to make ends meet. But Brussels remains adamant that the transition must go ahead as planned. Or almost.
This spring, Germany’s ruling coalition proposed legislation to phase out gas heating systems and replace them with electric ones that draw energy from sources such as wind and solar.
The proposal sparked protests in parts of Germany as people refused to shoulder the cost of retrofitting homes and apartment buildings with heat pump systems.
Ultimately, the German parliament passed a watered-down version of the proposal last week in an attempt to calm public nerves.
Meanwhile, Poland sued the EU earlier this year over some of Brussels’ climate policies, arguing that they would make citizens pay more than they can afford.
One such policy was a planned ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines from 2035, which the European Commission says would be a major step towards a low-carbon future.