Carbon tax remains intact in India-EU FTA; technical talks to address concerns: German official
New Delhi (PTI): The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will not see any exceptions despite the concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but both sides have committed to technical discussions to find the best way forward, a senior German environment ministry official said here.
Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, emphasised that the CBAM is not targeted against any specific country but serves as a necessary protective measure once carbon pricing is introduced domestically in the EU.
"CBAM is not against anyone. Once you introduce carbon pricing, you need to have some kind of protection," Flasbarth told PTI Videos on Wednesday during his ongoing visit to India, where he held discussions with officials from the Ministries of New and Renewable Energy, Power, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
"With the carbon pricing, we need to do something, and that is something we want to discuss. It is written in the free trade agreement that there will be technical discussions on how to do it in the best possible way. And of course, it's very clear we will not make exceptions for any other countries in the world. We would not follow the pressure of the US, for example, or others, so India can be sure there will be no exceptions," the secretary emphasised.
The EU's CBAM, which entered its definitive financial phase in January 2026, imposes charges on embedded carbon emissions in imports of key sectors such as iron and steel, aluminium, and cement, among others. This has raised concerns in India, particularly for carbon-intensive exports like steel, which could face additional costs, potentially offsetting some tariff benefits from the FTA.
Flasbarth described the FTA as enormously important amid rising global trade barriers and a difficult geopolitical situation. He noted that while environment and climate issues are not the core of the agreement text, they remain central given the EU's commitment to climate neutrality.
"The Free Trade Agreement that was agreed...will have to be ratified soon. We also agreed to collaborate more in the field of carbon pricing and emission trading systems," Flasbarth said.
Flasbarth also stated that India and Germany will ratify a pact on critical minerals during the upcoming inter-governmental commission meeting.
"Critical minerals are extremely important for both countries. At the moment, both countries are dependent on one source, basically from China. And of course, it's in the interest of the two countries to get less dependent on one source," he said.
Sources indicate that the IGC between the two countries is likely to be held in June 2026.
VIDEO | Delhi: Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary, Germany's Federal Ministry of the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, says, "Critical minerals are extremely important for both countries... Both countries are dependent on just one source, which… pic.twitter.com/D4NcnnhUFv
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BJP will win West Bengal polls, drive out every single infiltrator: Amit Shah
Araria (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday exuded confidence that the BJP will win the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal, and “drive out every single infiltrator” from the state after coming to power.
Shah made the remark while addressing a function of the Sashastra Seema Bal in Araria district of Bihar, which falls in the Seemanchal region bordering West Bengal.
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“Elections are around the corner in West Bengal. I am confident that the BJP is going to win. Upon formation of the new government, we shall drive out every single infiltrator,” he asserted.
“The process of flushing out infiltrators will begin in Bihar, especially in the Seemanchal region. We had won the assembly polls here last year on this very issue. And, we got the mandate even though opponents were criticising our agenda,” the home minister said.
Shah said infiltration is a threat to national security, and infiltrators also threaten the demographic balance of an area, feed on ration, and avail other benefits meant for common people.
“Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam are the most vulnerable to such demographic disturbance. The Narendra Modi government is committed to maintain demographic balance,” Shah said.
He began his speech by paying rich tributes to legendary freedom fighter and Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his death anniversary.
“The Revolt of 1857 came to be seen as India’s First War of Independence only after Savarkar... wrote a book asserting the same,” Shah added.
