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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Three arrested for killing Buddhist woman monk in Himachal
Shimla (PTI): Three people have been arrested for allegedly murdering a Buddhist woman monk in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh nearly a month ago, police said on Friday.
The accused -- Gagan Sharma (23), Vishal (23) and Gaurav Sharma (20), all residents of Mandi -- were arrested on Thursday night, police said.
According to police, the 78-year-old Buddhist woman monk, Orje Shoki, was found murdered in a cave near Sarkidhar village, following which a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to nab the accused.
Mandi Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinod Kumar said that during the investigation, more than 50 suspects were questioned and DNA samples of several suspects were also collected.
After a detailed investigation, the accused were arrested from different locations on Thursday night, he said.
Kumar said all the accused are drug addicts and they committed the crime with the intention of looting the victim, so that they could buy drugs.
Efforts are on to nab two more accused wanted in the case. They will be put behind bars soon, the SP said.
