Government official: Achieving climate goals should go hand in hand with lower energy prices

Speaking to MTI on the sidelines of a meeting of EU environment ministers, Attila Steiner, a state secretary of the innovation and technology ministry, said the EU should “proceed cautiously” when striving for climate goals. Hasty implementation could lead to rocketing energy prices and even to energy outages, he said.

Noting that several EU states were mulling introducing centralised energy prices, Steiner said the Hungarian government’s utility price cuts had curbed the costs of green transition and maintained a secure energy supply.

In line with the Paris Agreement, Hungary has cut its carbon emissions by 32 percent compared with 1990, Steiner said. Fully 90 percent of its electric energy production is planned to be emissions-free by 2030, he added.

Meanwhile, Steiner warned that the 2050 climate goals cannot be achieved without using nuclear energy. Long-term access to nuclear energy ensures cheap, reliable, carbon-free energy for Hungary, he said.