Almost a month before the European elections, the European Green Party held a meeting in Brussels on Friday 3 May entitled ‘Choose Courage’, the slogan of its campaign. The main candidates, including co-Spitzenkandidaten Bas Eickhout and Terry Reintke, presented their strategies for strengthening the European Union’s climate policy to counter the risks of environmental rollback.
The day before the event, Bas Eickhout (Dutch), Michael Bloss (German) and Sara Matthieu (Belgian) announced the proposal for an ‘Industrial Green Deal’. This initiative, reiterated at the meeting, aims to re-industrialise Europe with clean technologies and a circular economy (see EUROPE 13403/12). At a press briefing, Bas Eickhout stressed its importance in stabilising the direction of the ‘European Green Deal’, thereby helping the industry to anticipate EU guidelines.
Asked by Agence Europe how the EU can achieve climate neutrality, Ms Reintke stressed the need for substantial investment in energy infrastructure. “It is essential to start investing where we have set targets. This means building a hydrogen transport network across Europe, strengthening the electrical grids, and fostering the renewable energies needed for this transition” she explained to us.
Investing. The German MEP stressed the need to speed up efforts, particularly in sectors where progress is insufficient, such as construction and public transport, especially rail. In her view, public investment is essential to catalyse private investment and ensure the green transformation of European industries: “I think this is the key question we must answer at the beginning of this legislature”.
With regard to trade agreements such as the one with Mercosur, which have been criticised for their environmental impact, Ms Reintke argued in favour of strict criteria. “We are sceptical [...] In contrast, the recently signed agreement with New Zealand is an example more aligned with our values”, she asserted, advocating the need for a trade policy that incorporates fair and climate-friendly standards.
Bolder action. On CBAM, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, Terry Reintke indicated that its implementation would require close collaboration with developing countries to promote a global energy transition.
She also welcomed the recent G7 initiatives to move away from coal combustion (see EUROPE 13402/5) but called for bolder action: “It is imperative that the EU take the lead, not only for climate reasons but also for economic and security reasons”.
For clear direction. Assessing European climate policy in recent years, Terry Reintke noted that significant but insufficient progress had been made in the face of growing opposition from certain political groups, notably the EPP. “If there is no clear direction, there will be no change in EU policy”, she declared, in order to maintain the momentum necessary for Europe’s economic competitiveness.
These comments echoed those made by other Green leaders, who denounced Ursula von der Leyen for her willingness to collaborate with the ECR and warned of the dangers of a coalition with the far right for a sustainable European economy. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)