Posted on October, 08 2019

On 16 July 2019, Ursula von der Leyen presented the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission (2019-2024). Her agenda sets out six headline ambitions for Europe over the next five years, the first of which is to deliver a ‘European Green Deal’ within the first 100 days of the European Commission’s time in office.

For WWF, the upcoming European Green Deal needs to pass five ‘tests’ to be a credible response to the twin climate and biodiversity crises:
 

1. Set mutually reinforcing targets on decarbonisation and nature restoration, based on what science dictates
2. Introduce flagship initiatives to transition to sustainable food systems in the EU and to address the EU’s global footprint
3. Focus on delivery: zero tolerance for non-compliance or weak implementation of environmental laws
4. Stop all financial support for harmful economic activities such as fossil fuel use and shift public and private finance to a climate neutral and sustainable economy
5. Guarantee a just transition ensuring no-one is left behind

  For more detail on these tests, please refer to our full briefing.