The ‘European Green Deal’, initiated by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the start of her first term in office, still faces challenges. In a letter sent to the EPP, ECR and ESN groups on Tuesday 28 January, MEP Jordan Bardella (PfE, French) proposed the addition of a debate on the temporary suspension of the ‘European Green Deal’.
The Chair of the Patriots for Europe group is proposing a formal coalition of the entire European right for a “temporary suspension of the Green Deal”.
Convinced that these groups “share common values”, Mr Bardella is proposing an “alternative majority” to steer the EU away from objectives that threaten its growth, at a time when “the EU risks increasing its marginalisation vis-à-vis the United States and China”.
“We reject the content of Mr Bardella’s initiative”, Peter Liese (EPP, German) told Agence Europe. In favour of the Commission’s initiative for a ‘Competitiveness Compass’, the EPP wants to cut red tape, but “is not in favour of stopping the ‘Green Deal’”, the substance of which it wants to “safeguard, in particular the climate objective”. Peter Liese also stated that his group “does not support the proposals put forward by the ‘Patriots’”.
“I hope that the EPP will not foolishly fall into this trap”, said Chloé Ridel (S&D, French). According to her, “science and reality, the suffering of flood victims and the victims of megafires, droughts and heatwaves will quickly remind them of what we are facing in terms of climate”.
See the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/f9k (Original version in French by Florent Servia)