Last year, 21 billion euros were taken from German companies through the ETS.

Omissions

• The MEP uses 'the ETS' (typically understood as the EU Emissions Trading System) to describe a combined figure that includes both the EU ETS and the German national emissions trading system (nEHS), without distinguishing between the two.
• The EU ETS 1 alone generated only approximately €5.4 billion in auction revenues for Germany in 2025 — roughly one quarter of the claimed €21 billion.
• The revenues are not 'taken' in a confiscatory sense; they are auction proceeds paid by companies to acquire emission allowances, and the funds flow into Germany's Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) for climate and energy transition projects.
• The DEHSt press release confirming the €21 billion combined figure was published in 2026; the MEP may have had access to preliminary 2025 data by May 2026.

Sources

• PrimaryDEHSt (German Emissions Trading Authority) / UmweltbundesamtIn 2025, auction revenues under EU ETS 1 amounted to around €5.4 billion, slightly below the previous year's level (€5.5 billion in 2024). By contrast, revenue from the national emissions trading system (nEHS) rose sharply. Total proceeds from both systems reached approximately €21 billion.
• SecondaryClean Energy WireGermany's emissions trading revenues rise to record 21.4 billion euros. While income from the EU ETS remained broadly stable at 5.4 billion euros, revenues from the national system covering transport and heating rose significantly.
• SecondaryBayern InnovativGermany raised more than 21.4 billion euros from emissions trading in 2025. The proceeds from European and national CO2 trading will flow into the Climate and Transformation Fund. Proceeds from EU ETS 1 auctions amounted to €5.4 billion in 2025.