(MENAFN) Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has raised concerns that European Union policies could push citizens back to burning wood for heating, likening the potential scenario to life in the 1930s.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Fico criticized the upcoming Emissions Trading System for buildings and road transport (ETS2), scheduled to come fully into effect in 2027. The program will expand the EU’s carbon trading framework to include households and vehicles.

Fico warned that the policy will further increase gas prices, which are already high following the EU’s restrictions on Russian energy.

“We are going back to the 1930s and 1940s again, and our valleys and villages will be shrouded in smoke,” Fico said. He stressed that Slovakia has invested heavily in expanding gas access for households, and higher fuel costs could force people to revert to older, more polluting heating methods.

In response to concerns from Slovakia and more than a dozen other EU countries, the European Commission has pledged to explore “additional ways to strengthen the stability and predictability” of energy prices before ETS2 is fully implemented.

The EU aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% from 1990 levels by 2040 and plans to phase out all energy imports from Russia in line with sanctions linked to the Ukraine conflict.

Critics, including Fico, argue that such measures could be unrealistic, potentially harming Europe’s industrial competitiveness and increasing living costs across member states.

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