Mohammed Chahim

Economic dependencies are no longer harmless.

Strategic autonomy starts with a clean & sustainable economy.

#Decarbonisation is our path to security, sovereignty, and competitiveness. #EU

European industry revolts over EU plan to weaken carbon border tax From fertilizers to cement, manufacturers warn against introducing a kill switch into the just-launched CBAM scheme.

Clear warning from European industry: introducing escape clauses in the #CBAM for one sector risks opening a Pandora’s box that undermines investments in decarbonisation and innovation across the #EU.

We cannot let that happen.

www.politico.eu/article/euro...

Ter vergelijking: Japan investeert €13 mld per jaar in grondstoffenzekerheid. De #EU, met #ResourceEU: €3 mld. Zo win je geen geopolitieke wedstrijd.

Wees ambitieuzer met duurzame substituten: creëer markten, versnel vergunningen en schaal op.

👉 Daarom zeg ik: Richt een Europees agentschap voor #grondstoffen op:.

Een instantie die markten monitort, strategische voorraden beheert en gezamenlijke inkoop organiseert. En vooral: die voldoende middelen krijgt.

Goede aanbevelingen van de Europese Rekenkamer om onze kwetsbaarheden in de mondiale grondstoffenketen te verkleinen. Maar zonder uitvoering blijven het ideeën op papier.

The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism & Fertilizer Prices: Separating Facts from Fiction — Mohammed Chahim Industry representatives, several countries, and even a Commissioner have circulated alarmist claims over the past weeks that CBAM will massively drive-up fertilizer prices and farmers’ production cos...

Find my full analysis and sources used here: www.mohammedchahim.nl/nieuws/blog-...

14/14) To Commissioners @wopkehoekstra.ec.europa.eu and Séjourné: no system is perfect, but CBAM deserves support because it drives cleaner production and investment security for EU companies leading the green transition.

13/14) Uncertainty will always exist there. This should not jeopardize the whole system.

12/14) CBAM makes CO₂-intensive products more expensive—that’s the point. Energy accounts for 70–80% of ammonia production costs, highlighting the need for cleaner production. CBAM also goes beyond temporary difficulties in a few agricultural commodities.

11/14) Global grain prices have fallen due to good harvests and abundant supplies, so any price increase—big or small—is felt. Farmers’ income concerns are real and deserve attention, but the debate must be based on accurate figures.

10/14) European producers already price their products with #ETS cost included. Rather than implementing the most polluting production methods, companies seek cleaner alternatives. Think tank @sandbag-eu.bsky.social made some interesting calculations around this.

9/14) We do not know yet to what extent importers will report actual data, will use more conservative default values or how they will pass CBAM cost to customers. A CBAM cost should not be described as a direct 7% price increase.

8/14) Note: Egyptian urea used, a very carbon-intensive source, as it was referenced in the Austrian letter, and the #EU imports majority of its nitrogen fertilizers from Egypt (32%, June 2025 data).

7/14) Meanwhile, France updated its website to show CBAM costs for each tonne of imported fertilizer: €41,96 (Egyptian urea as example, Egyptian default value minus 97.5% free allowances). With current ETS price, market price € ~500-550/ton → CBAM = 7,63% of costs.

6/14) The French corrected, but we were flooded by inflated estimations by industry, stating 10-30% and by the French themselves, citing a price increase of 25%. According to latest press reports, nine countries are requesting a fertilizers suspension (FR, BG, HR, GR, HU, LV, LU, PT).

5/14) CBAM aims to level the playing field, so the 7–8% figure reflects equalized competition, not a direct price increase. The French government provided a CBAM cost calculator, which overstated costs due to conservative default values and mark-ups.

4/14) Spoiler alert: CBAM won’t increase fertilizers prices in Europe with 30% or more. Estimations are that CBAM will be around 7-8% of the total costs for fertilizer importers (referenced: default value for Egyptian Urea, a very carbon intensive source).

3/14) This has led to calls to suspend CBAM for fertilizers. Numbers can be bent, narratives can be spun, but truth has a way of resurfacing — often after the damage is done.

2/14) Industry representatives, several countries, and even a Commissioner have circulated alarmist claims over the past weeks that #CBAM will massively drive-up fertilizer prices and farmers’ production costs, backed by inflated numbers.

1/14) CBAM & fertilisers. It’s time to separate fact from fiction. A thread in detail 🧵

I asked the European Commission if we can have one EU-wide registration for all LEZs. One badge and one system for all roads. 👇

I call on the @ec.europa.eu to make this happen.

Let’s simplify travel, make Europe greener, and keep it fair for everyone. (www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ques...

This isn’t fair. We need a system that works across borders, so drivers aren’t punished for something they didn’t know.

One registration. For all roads in Europe. 🚗

There are already 250+ Low Emission Zones (LEZ) in the EU, and more are coming. But every Member State has its own registration, and drivers risk fines just for not knowing.

⚡️♻️

In Europa is de EV populairder dan benzineauto, mits je een belangrijk ding vergeet En de prognose is dat het alleen maar zal stijgen

Er zijn in de Europese Unie voor het eerst meer #elektrische auto’s dan benzineauto’s verkocht.

Ik verwacht dat dit alleen maar zal toenemen. Belangrijk is dat de EU blijft inzetten op elektrificatie, met goede laadinfrastructuur en transparante prijzen.

topgear.nl/autonieuws/e...

Dit soort samenwerking is onmisbaar voor onze #energiezekerheid, voor betaalbare energie en voor een leefbare planeet.

Dit peoject kan stroom leveren aan ongeveer 143 miljoen huishoudens en de kosten van energieproductie met tot 30% verlagen in de komende 15 jaar. Dat betekent: lagere energierekeningen, minder uitstoot en meer strategische autonomie.

Want elke nieuwe windmolen maakt ons minder afhankelijk van buitenlandse energie. Minder afhankelijk van Poetin, maar ook van vervuilend Amerikaans LNG, dat tegen 2030 voor bijna 50% van onze import dreigt uit te maken.

Vandaag hebben negen Europese landen afgesproken om samen tot €1.000 miljard te mobiliseren voor investeringen in windenergie op de Noordzee. Dat is een reuzenstap richting echte Europese energie-soevereiniteit.

“Windenergie is voor losers”, zei Donald Trump nog maar een paar dagen geleden.
Europa bewijst vandaag het tegendeel - en dat is maar goed ook.