Next week’s unveiling of the new European Commission will be watched closely by environmentalists – at a time when defending the environment has skidded down the list of priorities in Brussels.
Back in 2019, EU-wide elections held in the wake of massive youth climate marches saw a surge of support for the Greens, who captured more than 70 seats in the European Parliament.
This June, by contrast, the Greens shed 20 seats in a vote marked by gains for the right and far right.
For Luke Haywood of the European Environmental Bureau NGO federation, the writing is on the wall – he expects the shift in Parliament may relegate the EU’s climate ambitions to the backburner.
“There is a risk that there will be an attempt to ignore the long-term benefits that we all have of acting on climate now, focusing on short-term gains for certain industries,” he said.
Climate loomed large under the outgoing Commission, which drove through an ambitious legislative “Green Deal” including flagship measures such as a ban on new combustion engine cars from 2035. Setting a roadmap for her second term, Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen pledged to “stay the course” on the environment – while promising to “reconcile climate protection with a prosperous economy.”
However, the key question is, who in the next EU executive team will inherit the task of making lofty goals a reality, with many of the Green Deal’s laws still at various stages of implementation.
Published - September 14, 2024 10:38 am IST
