Promote effective CO2 pricing

Austria has had a national CO2 price since October 2022. It currently stands at 55€ per tonne. To have a corresponding steering effect, the CO2 price would need to be increased further. The money collected through the CO2 price can be distributed back to the population in the form of a climate bonus. In Austria, as of 2024, more money is currently being paid out for the climate bonus by region than is being collected through the CO2 tax. The current government program has agreed to completely abolish the climate bonus.

The EU Emissions Trading System 2 (EU ETS 2) is expected to start on January 1, 2027 (or 2028 in case of high energy prices) and covers CO₂ emissions from fuels in the building, road transport, and small industries sectors. Currently, the CO₂ price in the ETS is higher than the national CO₂ price in Austria, as visualized by the Climate Dashboard.

Regierungsprogramm 2025-29 auto-translated using AI

Climate Protection

• The transition of the Austrian CO2 pricing model to the EU ETS-2 scheme is carried out as predictably and location-friendly as possible.

Forderungen des Klimarats der Bürger:innen 2022 auto-translated using AI

Effective CO2 Pricing in the Energy Sector

In 2022, the National Council decided to introduce a CO2 pricing model in Austria. The CO2 price per tonne will initially be set at 30 euros and will be increased to 55 euros by 2025. To immediately enhance the steering effect of this measure, the CO2 price must be increased annually, to 120 euros by 2025 and to 240 euros per tonne by 2030.
A maximum of 50 percent of the revenue from CO2 pricing should be used for a climate bonus to avoid social hardship cases. The remaining 50 percent should be earmarked: for the transition of private households from gas to district heating or for the conversion/production of district heating and other forms of energy production to emission-free production (e.g., geothermal energy) - in urban and rural areas - as well as for the expansion of public transport. The actual percentage distribution or the amount of the climate bonus depends on the amount of revenue generated and should be adjusted periodically.
The climate bonus should apply at the planned level for everyone, except for those whose income is in the four highest progression stages. The climate bonus should - as with the model already decided by the government - cover the additional costs caused by CO2 pricing for lower and middle incomes in full with average energy consumption. For the lowest income groups, the additional costs - with average energy consumption - will even be overcompensated. Voluntary renunciation of the climate bonus is possible at any time.