TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Ministry of Environment (MOEN, 環境部) will dispatch a delegation of approximately 45 representatives to Germany (德國) next week to study Europe's established carbon market mechanisms, officials announced Monday (June 13). The study group, scheduled to depart June 22, includes officials from Taiwan's Climate Change Administration (CCA, 氣候變遷署), corporate members of the recently formed Green Growth Alliance (綠色成長聯盟), and technical advisory teams tasked with developing Taiwan's emerging carbon trading framework.
CCA Director Tsai Ling-yi (蔡玲儀) underscored the strategic importance of the German visit, explaining that the Green Growth Alliance will concentrate on studying emissions trading system design principles to help Taiwan's major industrial carbon emitters reduce their environmental footprint more efficiently. According to Tsai, Taiwan plans to implement a comprehensive dual-track system combining emissions trading with carbon fees by 2027, with detailed implementation guidelines expected by the end of 2026. "We need to conduct preliminary trials and make necessary adjustments before full-scale implementation," Tsai noted during the Monday briefing.
The decision to benchmark against Germany's carbon trading expertise stems from a memorandum of understanding previously signed between Taiwanese officials and the German Emissions Trading Authority, as well as Germany's nearly two decades of experience operating within the European Union's carbon market. Taiwan has already taken its first steps toward carbon pricing by initiating a carbon fee system earlier this year. Officials plan to gradually integrate this fee-based approach with the more market-driven emissions trading system to create a comprehensive framework for achieving Taiwan's ambitious carbon reduction commitments.
Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming (彭啓明) had earlier outlined Taiwan's strategy of testing a cap-and-trade system that would operate in parallel with the existing carbon fee structure, creating what officials describe as a "dual-track carbon pricing system." This hybrid approach seeks to maximize emissions reduction efficiency while bringing Taiwan's climate policies into closer alignment with global carbon market practices. The Green Growth Alliance, formally established on April 24, represents a cross-governmental initiative that includes Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA, 經濟部), the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC, 國科會), and other agencies working collectively to accelerate corporate sustainability transitions. ◼