The Green Pact, from emblematic project to political problem

The ambitious Green Deal of the European Union It was born as a great unifying project of political wills, but it became the center of bitter protests and now runs the risk of representing a brake on environmental regulation.

“The Green Pact is our growth strategy”said in 2019, when launching the project, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who highlighted the ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Commission then launched dozens of bills to enable the EU to meet the targets.

However, five years later, industrialists and farmers complain about the regulatory burden and bureaucracy, to the point that various countries have suggested the need for a regulatory pause.

In this process, important pieces of the Pact were approved, such as the end of cars with internal combustion engines by 2035, the carbon tax at the border or the blockade of products resulting from deforestation.

In April of this year, MEPs also validated texts on air pollution, wastewater treatment or even ecological packaging by banning single-use plastic containers in cafes and restaurants by 2030.

However, starting in 2023 the process suffered significant setbacks, such as criticism of legislation to reduce pesticides or the restoration of ecosystems.

Under pressure from nationalist and far-right parties, the largest political bloc in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party (EPP), turned the issue into an electoral issue.

For the German MEP Peter Liese, of the EPP, it is “difficult to make the transition a reality in the industry and also among citizens.”

“The Green Deal may not be popular in electoral terms, because the conservatives seek to oppose industry or agriculture to the climate issue. “That is irresponsible.”responded the Spanish MEP Iratxe García, leader of the European Social Democrats.

Difficulties

A European Parliament with a strong right-wing tendency would possibly block the environmental legislation necessary for after 2030, or even complicate the implementation of the texts already approved.

Thus, Von der Leyen has already opened the door to an authorization for “synthetic fuels” for automobiles beyond 2035.

For Phuc-Vinh Nguyen, from the Jacques Delors institute, the idea of ​​a regulatory pause is an “ideological error” because it could legitimize attacks that seek to move the discussion towards the implementation and consequences of the Green Deal.

This position was clearly stated by the conservative Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani.

The EU said, ““must abandon its extremist and ideological position: industry and agriculture cannot be penalized for unattainable environmental objectives.”

In this framework, in the face of agricultural discontent, the EU proposed a relaxation of the ecological standards of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which was approved in April.

Von der Leyen, a figure of the EPP and candidate for a new mandate, has already requested a “new stage” of the Green Deal focused on “competitiveness”.

Neil Makaroff, from the Strategic Perspectives think tank, pointed out that the next legislature could aspire to a “reindustrialization plan” that complements the Green Deal.

A group of 600 companies signed a Declaration in which they asked “corrective measures” the regulations for “eliminate unnecessary inconsistencies and complexities.”

The goal, they noted, is “to let entrepreneurs thrive to find the best solutions.”

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