Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate Action, explained his priorities to around 15 young Europeans on Thursday 6 February at an ‘EU Youth Dialogue’.
“I find it extremely important that all generations are part of this conversation. You have the biggest incentive in coming up with long-term solutions”, he told his audience. “We need to get rid of this model where politics is about cleaning up the mess of the past generation.”
The Commissioner urged young people to seize the career opportunities which, according to Ryan Roslansky, CEO of LinkedIn – with whom, he explained, he had spoken earlier – are multiplying in green sectors. “This is a trend that you are leading and that, in my opinion, is going in the right direction”, he enthused.
Mr Hoekstra also focused on his main work at the Commission. He insisted on his desire to “combine climate action with competitiveness but also with a fair transition for our people, particularly those in the middle class”, citing the jobs threatened in the industrial sector. “We need to ensure that for the vast majority of our citizens, this is roughly perceived as a fair bargain, because if it is not, they will not just resist a specific tax or policy approach, they will put into question the larger endeavour”, he warned.
The Commissioner called for firmer climate diplomacy in what he described as a “geopolitical winter”. Pointing out that 94% of greenhouse gases are emitted outside the EU, he expressed the need for dialogue with India, China and the United States.
Mr Hoekstra also underlined her ambition to see the EU become “the number one circular economy”, to strengthen European self-sufficiency and create a new source of income. (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)