Posted on November, 04 2024

The statement points to worrying signals from the mission letters sent by Ursula von der Leyen to the Commissioners-designate and early parliamentary debates, which suggest a retreat from critical Green Deal legislation protecting biodiversity, reducing pollution, and tackling the climate crisis. NGOs argue that sidelining these issues in favour of a narrow focus solely on decarbonisation and simplification threatens to undermine Europe's environmental resilience and long-term competitiveness.

The NGOs are calling for decisive action from the European Commission and outline several key demands, including:

• No weakening or rollback of environmental, public health, or social laws, including vital regulations on sustainable finance and corporate accountability.
• Recognition of the interconnectedness of the climate, biodiversity, and pollution crises, ensuring these issues are not sidelined in favour of a single focus on decarbonisation
• Providing businesses and stakeholders with legal certainty, including the publication of essential guidance documents and prioritisation of effective enforcement of environmental laws.
• Allocating public funds exclusively to proven, cost-effective climate solutions that advance the EU's zero-pollution and biodiversity goals, rather than unproven or costly technologies.

With the European Parliament hearings for the incoming Commissioners starting today, NGOs are pressing for transparency and clarity from President von der Leyen's administration. They demand that the political groups in the European Parliament and President von der Leyen address these critical issues before the new European Commission takes office.

The full statement can be found here.