The European People’s Party (EPP) has taken significant steps to distance itself from the European Union’s Green Deal, a major initiative originally championed by Ursula von der Leyen. Once imagined to be her political legacy, the Green Deal would make Europe “the world’s first climate-neutral continent.” Recent news have made it clear that worries about national defense, economic stability, and international trade have taken precedence over environmental concerns.
Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized the urgency of climate action, citing threats posed by rising sea levels to both European cities and Pacific islands. The Green Deal comprises a broad set of legislative acts. Jointly, its primary aims are to lower greenhouse gas emissions, preserve biodiversity, and reduce waste. Beyond this, it required companies to disclose what they were doing to impact the environment, so they could be held accountable for their ecological footprints.
Economically, the EPP is strongly aligned with the agriculture sector. Given that, the party has adopted an extreme anti-environment position. Hundreds of thousands of farmers went to the streets last year across Europe, protesting EU policies that they believe are hurting their livelihoods. This agricultural obsession has driven the EPP to oppose the European Green Deal.
Esther Herranz García, an EPP lawmaker who represented her party during negotiations on a recent report concerning water issues, articulated her party’s perspective. She expressed concerns regarding the Green Deal’s impact on farm productivity and land use, stating, “It is not a question of giving up the Green Deal but of giving farmers more time to achieve its goals while ensuring the sector’s competitiveness.” Her comments give hope that much more may be coming, reflecting a dramatic change in priorities. They show a growing conviction that “new times have arrived” for the agricultural economy.
Michal Wiezik of the agriculture committee, largely responsible for the water report’s writing. Specifically when it comes to MFF, he acknowledged that EPP requests dominated those negotiations. He noted, “For the EPP, the biggest party in the room, it was a red line to have the Green Deal mentioned in the text — you won’t find it in there.” This decision firmly reaffirms the party’s continuation of putting agri-business interests ahead of climate commitments.
Christina Guarda corroborated Wiezik’s remarks, stating, “They completely deleted every reference to the Green Deal.” Removing all reference to this important environmental program is raising serious doubts over the EU’s dedication to achieving climate objectives. Beyond just the impacts to conservation, this transition raises a deeply concerning pattern of sacrificing environmental protection for economic and agricultural security.
As these negotiations continue, Wiezik worried that the Green Deal may not survive in the next European Parliament. He stated, “There’s a lot of enemies of the Green Deal in this house right now,” highlighting a growing divide among lawmakers regarding environmental legislation.
The current conversation about the Green Deal shows a critical juxtaposition of ecological stewardship and fiscal sustainability. Europe faces the same pressing issues brought about by climate change. It will be interesting to see how advocates and policymakers reconcile and balance all of these divergent interests and uses.
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