After intense negotiations, the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the European Commission struck a deal last weekend on an Emissions Trading System (ETS) for buildings and roads (ETS II) that sees reason prevail, having taken on board the road transport industry’s critical recommendations. The negotiations began with the European Parliament and Council holding different positions that included impractical provisions, such as limiting the ETS system to commercial users and a start date targeting 2024, even though alternatives to carbon-emitting technologies and the related infrastructure will not be ready. (....)