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The EU’s new Green Deal chief has promised “intensive” talks with industry and voters about the bloc’s measures to fight climate change, amid concerns raised by environmental groups that Brussels could further water down legislation.
Maroš Šefčovič on Wednesday sought to strike a balance between the European Commission’s ambitious climate goals and what he described as helping the continent’s industry “maintain their traditionally very strong position in the global economy”.
The Slovak commissioner replaced Frans Timmermans as vice-president of the commission on Tuesday, after the Dutch politician quit to run as a candidate in national elections.
The change of leadership in the EU’s green portfolio comes at a crucial time for the bloc as it tries to finalise and enforce its “Green Deal” laws designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions across the 27 member states by 55 per cent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
In recent months, Brussels’ efforts to push climate laws have been resisted by rightwing politicians, farmers, some consumers and industrial sectors who fear that the cost of complying will be too much amid high inflation and staffing pressures.
Commission officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted Šefčovič was closer to industry than Timmermans. BusinessEurope, the EU-wide lobby group, welcomed his “strong focus on industry”.
Climate activists including Friends of the Earth and the Institute for European Environmental Policy warned that Šefčovič must maintain pressure on industry to cut carbon emissions and protect the environment amid a growing backlash against green legislation ahead of EU elections next June.
“We call on Šefčovič not to lose sight of crucial environmental files to be closed before the election,” said Antoine Oger, research director at IEEP. Šefčovič, who has recently overseen the bloc’s efforts to co-ordinate gas purchases, will have an instrumental role to play in finalising rules to reform the EU’s energy market and boost its clean industries, Oger added.
“The backlash against crucial EU Green Deal policies, led by corporate lobbies, gravely undermines the efforts made so far,” said Paul de Clerck, program co-ordinator of FOE Europe. “Šefčovič has but a short time to make his mark, keep the ambition alive and not give in to corporate scaremongering.”
Šefčovič told the FT that the commission’s climate ambition “remains undiluted”.
“This is a flagship policy. We are in the implementation phase and need to work with those who have to implement it,” he said.
Manon Dufour, head of the climate think-tank E3G’s Brussels office, said that negotiations in the autumn on a controversial law to restore nature condemned by conservative lawmakers would be “a test” for Šefčovič and his climate ambition.
“We can only hope that he will continue in his predecessor’s trend,” she said.
Timmermans made a name for himself by passionately speaking about the need to tackle climate change, often mentioning his grandchildren facing lives in an “unlivable” world. He had a close relationship with US climate envoy John Kerry.
A former commission official said that Šefčovič had not appeared “too industry-friendly in the past” but said that it was notable that the announcement of his role had been given “an industry spin”.
A directive on taxing heavily polluting fuel types has been quietly shelved, according to EU diplomats, while proposals to create more sustainable food systems were unlikely to happen, said another EU official.
Another test will be whether the commission follows through on a plan to ban the use of cages on farms and shorten livestock journeys before the end of the year, after 1.4mn EU citizens petitioned for legislation. The proposal, if made, would be part of the Green Deal.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has requested that the Dutch government nominate a successor fit for the climate portfolio. That person, who will be in post until the end of the commission mandate in November next year, will lead the negotiations for the EU at the COP28 climate summit in December if the nomination is approved in time. Šefčovič will retain the title as EU Green Deal vice-president until the end of his term.
On Tuesday von der Leyen called for “an even more intensive dialogue with industry, key stakeholders like forest owners, farmers, as well as citizens” on Green Deal laws.
