Leaders from countries across the European Union met this week for a summit, but things did not go smoothly. Instead of quick agreements, the meeting turned into a three-hour fight over how to tax car emissions.

At the center of the drama was António Costa, the President of the European Council. His handling of the meeting reportedly upset many of the other leaders. There were clear splits in the room, making it hard to get any real work done.

The group had two main problems to solve. First, they argued about whether to weaken rules on car pollution. Some countries want to relax these rules because they are worried about the cost to businesses. Other countries are pushing hard to keep the rules strict to help the environment.

Second, they spent a lot of time arguing about high energy prices. People all over Europe are paying more for electricity and heat, and the leaders are struggling to agree on a plan to make things cheaper and easier for their citizens.

By the time the meeting ended, the disagreements were still very clear. While the leaders did meet to talk about these big issues, the long arguments showed that it is not easy for so many different countries to agree on the same path forward.

Source: POLITICO.eu