The Czech government cannot unilaterally scrap the European Union’s Green Deal climate policy because EU law takes precedence over national legislation, Radim Fiala, head of the parliamentary club for the governing SPD movement, conceded during a special Chamber of Deputies session on Wednesday. Fiala’s admission marks a sharp pivot from the movement’s pre-election campaign, during which the party promised voters an “complete end” to the climate framework.
Fiala Admits Legal Limits to Scraping Climate Policies
During Wednesday’s extraordinary meeting called to debate a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s cabinet, Fiala defended the current coalition government, labeling it a success for citizens, small businesses, and corporations. However, his defense of the administration’s stance on Brussels climate targets ran headlong into the reality of European legal integration. Fiala described the Green Deal as a “self-destructive mechanism” that harms European industrial competitiveness, noting that the government is lobbying Brussels to abolish or indefinitely postpone ETS1 emission allowances.
Yet, when addressing total abolition, Fiala told lawmakers, “We cannot scrap the bloody Green Deal.” He cited the Lisbon Treaty to argue that EU law overrides domestic legislation. “Those countries are no longer sovereign, and something should be done about it,” Fiala added, according to the parliamentary record. Fiala further suggested that change might eventually arrive if the European Commission and Parliament shift composition, or if the European Union simply “dies out financially” because it runs out of money.
Contrasts With Pre-Election Promises and Official Government Program
Fiala’s parliamentary statements stand in clear contrast to the positions the SPD advanced before the elections. In April 2025, the movement’s official website explicitly declared that it was pushing for the “complete end of the Green Deal” and featured the pledge prominently in campaign materials. At the same time, the current official program of Andrej Babiš’s government stops short of demanding total cancellation. Instead, the governing coalition labels the Green Deal unsustainable in its current form and formally commits only to pushing for its “fundamental revision.”
No-Confidence Vote Context and Debated Energy Statistics
The extraordinary session was triggered by five opposition parties—ODS, STAN, Piráti, KDU-ČSL, and TOP 09—whose 92 deputies signed the motion of no confidence. The opposition is targeting the cabinet over a proposed state budget deficit of 386 billion crowns for next year, Prime Minister Babiš’s unresolved conflict of interest, and what they characterize as government attacks on independent judicial and media institutions. Coalition politicians have dismissed the maneuver as a purely pre-election stunt by the opposition.
During the same speech, Fiala asserted that ETS1 emission allowances account for up to 80 percent of energy prices across Europe. He did not cite a source for the figure. Available energy market analyses from the European Commission and the International Energy Agency identify carbon allowances as one factor influencing wholesale electricity prices, alongside natural gas costs, generation mixes, grid fees, and taxes, but do not support the claim that ETS1 constitutes 80 percent of total energy costs.
Questions and Answers on the Parliamentary Debate
Why did Radim Fiala say the Czech government cannot cancel the Green Deal?
Fiala pointed to the legal principle of the primacy of European law established under EU treaties, stating that member state legislation cannot simply override EU-level policies.
What is the official government stance on the Green Deal?
Unlike the pre-election promises made by the SPD to completely scrap the policy, the current coalition program signed by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s cabinet calls the Green Deal unsustainable and pledges to pursue a fundamental revision.
Who initiated the parliamentary no-confidence vote?
The motion was brought by 92 opposition deputies representing ODS, STAN, Piráti, KDU-ČSL, and TOP 09, citing budget deficits and governance concerns.
Related reading