At a time when thorny negotiations over the EU’s 2021-2027 budget proposal and the European Recovery Plan are taking place, leading environmental NGOs are calling on EU leaders to use taxpayers’ money to fund a just and green recovery, not polluters.
A petition signed by more than 1.3 million Europeans was handed over on Thursday 16 July by representatives of Avaaz, Greenpeace and Transport & Environment (on behalf of the Green 10)) to Rudy Volders, chief of the Integrated Europe team of European Council President Charles Michel.
According to these NGOs, the €1,820 billion proposed for the MFF and the Recovery Plan should not line the pockets of polluting industries, such as aviation, which have already sought €34.4 billion in government bailouts since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, without binding environmental conditions.
NGO members of Green 10 have also sent a letter to the Ministers and Heads of State of the EU-27 identifying activities that the Recovery Plan should not support, such as the fossil fuel industry, expansion of airports and highways, fossil fuel cars and trucks, diesel and gas powered ships, the textile industry (unless it is sustainable and ethical), factory farming, live animal testing (unless strict criteria are met) or logging.ia are met) or logging. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)