Poland and Italy have thrown their weight behind European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's push for joint EU energy purchasing, deepening an alliance between Warsaw and Rome that pairs support for collective procurement with open resistance to the climate rules favoured in Brussels. As Rapporteur reports, the backing from the two capitals gives the joint purchasing concept fresh political momentum — and signals that Warsaw and Rome intend to shape European energy policy around affordability and security rather than the regulatory agenda favoured by the Commission.
The dual character of the position is what makes it significant. Poland and Italy are willing to work with Brussels where collective buying power promises more secure and affordable energy — yet they remain firmly outside the camp of member states pushing for stricter climate rules. The result is a strengthened axis within the Council that supports EU cooperation on its own terms: rejecting the climate regulations Brussels favours while embracing tools that promise concrete economic benefits.
For the automotive industry, the stakes are considerable. Energy is a core input for vehicle production and an increasingly important factor in the running costs of electric cars, so any mechanism that promises lower or more predictable power prices would be welcomed by manufacturers and fleet operators across Central and Eastern Europe. At the same time, a reinforced bloc resisting tighter climate rules could slow the pace of regulation that has shaped the sector's investment planning — from electrification to charging infrastructure — adding another layer of uncertainty for companies mapping out the rest of the decade.
The move also fits a broader realignment in EU industrial policy, in which competitiveness concerns have been gaining ground against climate ambition. Coming on top of earlier signals of flexibility from Brussels on automotive transition rules, the Polish-Italian stance suggests the balance within the Council is shifting further toward the affordability-and-security camp. For a region whose car industry is deeply exposed to energy costs, that shift carries real weight.
While the policy battle plays out in Brussels, Poland's used-car market offers a telling snapshot of how buyers behave amid uncertainty: they pay for certainty. New findings from ZDS and AutoDNA show that used cars with authorised service histories command asking prices averaging 14.39% higher than comparable vehicles — a premium that underlines just how much value documentation and provenance now carry. Dealers and buyers searching for vehicles with verified histories — or looking to reach customers who prize them — can browse more than 70,000 vehicles on WorldTrader24.de, a European marketplace serving traders and private buyers alike.
