If she wants her ‘Green Deal’ to find favour in the eyes of MEPs, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will have to review some of her commitments. Parliament’s political groups, meeting in extraordinary plenary session on Wednesday 11 December, welcomed the initiative for the most part, but deplored its shortcomings, particularly in the social field.
Belgium’s Philippe Lamberts, speaking on behalf of the Greens/EFA, and France’s Manon Aubry, on behalf of the GUE/NGL, made the strongest statements.
“Four criteria will determine our commitment to the Green New Deal”, Mr Lamberts warned. First of all, the Greens expect the Commission’s proposal to force the EU to make the necessary commitments to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
“For the time being, not only are the Union’s commitments insufficient, they are not being maintained. Correcting the situation requires that, within the next 100 days, we commit to reducing our emissions by 65% by 2030”, said the MEP.
The group also wants to see “finance in the service” of society and demands an overhaul of all public policies to make them consistent with the Union’s climate ambitions.
Finally, Philippe Lamberts urged the Commission to devote its ‘Just Transition Fund’ exclusively to those who will see their jobs disappear as part of the environmental transition.
Counter-proposal
For its part, the GUE/NGL stressed the absence of a human and social dimension, “even though the most vulnerable are the first victims of disaster”.
Manon Aubry thought some of Ursula von der Leyen’s proposals - reforestation, state aid and energy efficiency, for example - were good, but deplored too many contradictions.
“On energy, how can we be credible without a timetable for the exit of coal and gas? On trade, what is the point of environmental clauses if we pursue climate-destroying free trade agreements? On transport, how can rail freight be developed while public companies continue to be dismantled?” she asked.
The group took the opportunity of this debate to give Mrs von der Leyen a counter-proposal described as a “social and environmental Green New Deal” and called on the Commission “reconsider its position”.
A “reliable, but demanding” partner
The S&D, the EPP and Renew Europe - which presented itself as “a reliable but demanding partner” - welcomed the Commission President’s proposal, but did not spare her from a few remarks, either.
Esther de Lange (EPP, Netherlands) and Iratxe García Pérez (S&D, Spain) called on the Commission to ensure that no one is “left out in the cold” and asked that the European market be open only to partners aligned with European climate standards.
Esther de Lange, joined on this point by Dacian Cioloș (Renew Europe, Romania), also asserted that an ambitious climate policy must go hand in hand with an intelligent industrial policy.
“A Green Deal without a good deal for our industry will not allow us to get the changes we want”, she said.
Idealistic objectives
The Identity and Democracy (ID) and European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) groups were, not surprisingly, the most critical of the ‘Green Deal’. Ryszard Legutko (ECR, Poland) accused the Commission of “taking initiatives to take power away from the Member States” and accused its President of being careless and idealistic. “You have described the country of the Care Bears”, he said mockingly, criticising what he called a “confused” project.
Silvia Sardone (ID, Italy) described the objectives put forward by Mrs von der Leyen as “dreams” and accused the Commission of wanting to project a fashionable image.
Like their counterparts, Ryszard Legutko and Silvia Sardone also drew the President’s attention to the social consequences of the ‘Green Deal’. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki, intern)