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As the Nature Restoration Law slowly deflates, it is tempting to write off the EU Green Deal as dead. But the Brussels law-making machine is still churning out important new green rules.
This week, the Parliament’s plenary will vote on several climate-related proposals: limiting trucks’ CO2 emissions, setting up a carbon removal certification system, tackling methane emissions, reforming Europe’s electricity market rules and preparing for new hydrogen markets.
With the business case for decarbonisation becomes more and more self-evident, there is an openness amongst business and political leaders to maintain the momentum on climate action.
In conversation with Euractiv’s Jonathan Packroff, Volvo Group CEO Martin Lundstedt called for ambitious carbon pricing and was not opposed to tougher CO2 standards for trucks.
Meanwhile the Commission is actively trying to protect its green industrial champions – Nikolaus Kurmayer has the story on the Commission’s new probe into Chinese-supplied solar projects and Commissioner Thierry Breton’s support for a new solar charter.
At an international level the EU is working steadily to exit the “climate-wrecking” Energy Charter Treaty, as covered by Olivia Gyapong.
And in case more motivation is needed, decision makers know that the enormous bills for climate adaptation are already starting to fall due – and these bills are only going to get larger. Paul Messad has the story.
But the agenda of the next European Commission will be heavy on economic competitiveness and industry. To remain a top political priority, climate action must be integral to this programme.
This is by no means guaranteed. A leak of EU leaders’ draft 2024-2029 Strategic Agenda seen by Euractiv does contain references to the climate and the energy transition. But these topics are nowhere near as central as they were in the Green Deal.
The scramble has already begun to shape the agenda for the remainder of the 2020s. The coming weeks may prove critical for Europe’s climate commitment.
