On Monday 9 February, European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety elected MEP Pierfrancesco Maran (S&D, Italian) as its new chair, by a secret ballot.
Following the vote, Mr Maran stressed the “great responsibility and honour” that this position represents, calling for continued implementation of the “European Green Deal”, which he described as a “freedom deal” strengthening European autonomy through energy and resource independence. He underlined the need for massive investment and the importance of an alliance with citizens and businesses to turn environmental ambition into a driver of prosperity.
Pierfrancesco Maran succeeds Antonio Decaro, who was elected president of the Italian region of Puglia at the end of 2025 and subsequently resigned as an MEP.
Born in Milan in 1980, and a member of the Italian Democratic Party and the S&D Group since 2024, Mr Maran has solid experience in urban and environmental policies, having served as deputy for urban planning and mobility for the city of Milan. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)