In a letter sent to the Commission’s Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis on Tuesday 25 July, a group of seven non-governmental organisations expressed their concerns about the European Commission’s plans to tighten the fiscal rules for EU governments (see EUROPE 13205/1).
CAN Europe, Greenpeace Europe, WWF, BirdLife Europe, Bankwatch Network, Health and Environment Alliance and Les Amis de la nature urged the Commission, in their letter, to review its fiscal policy to bring it more into line with the EU’s environmental objectives.
The signatories of the letter, who point to the alarming consequences of the climate disruption that Europe is currently facing, believe that the proposed revision of the EU’s fiscal framework will limit governments’ ability to invest in order to implement existing environmental legislation and achieve Europe’s climate and social objectives.
The NGOs are calling on the Commission to take bolder action by eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and introducing environmental taxes to encourage the transition to a green economy.
They also stress the need for country-specific recommendations (CSRs) to reflect the impacts of environmental degradation.
The organisations also stress that mobilising national economic and fiscal policies should be an absolute priority if the ambitious objectives of the European Green Deal are to be achieved.
Read the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/8a9 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)