The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved the financing of the Green Deal proposed by EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans. With 482 votes in favor and 136 against, the Parliament adopted a Climate Action Plan that is even greener than what the European Commission had suggested.
The Parliament wants to reduce pollution more (55%), and does not consider nuclear energy a sustainable replacement for polluting energy sources. MEPs emphasize that the EU must approve these targets well before the next UN climate change conference, which will take place in November. They also want to establish an interim target for 2040 to ensure that the EU stays on track to be fully climate neutral by 2050.
On Tuesday afternoon in Strasbourg, Timmermans delivered an impressive speech on the necessity of the Green Deal. If the current generation wants to leave behind a cleaner and safer planet for future generations, action must be taken now. Not just a little, but structurally. We have let too many environmental issues drag on for too long and have not intervened where we really should have, Timmermans acknowledged yesterday afternoon.
After the debate, Timmermans expressed his happiness about the âbroad supportâ within the Parliament. He called the Green Deal âa roadmap, an outstretched open hand. We must now take action because the facts stare us in the face. Will we try to master the changes, or leave it to others?â
Environmental organizations feel the âGreen Dealâ does not go far enough. Greenpeace previously called the plans insufficient and too vague. According to Milieudefensie, the Commission still maintains too many taboos. Milieudefensie does see it as positive that the Commission wants to distribute the costs of greener policies fairly. The plan to financially support Eastern European countries if they replace their coal plants with renewable energy sources like solar and wind is also welcomed by the organization.
Not only the parliamentary group leaders in the European Parliament mostly reacted positively to the majority of the new European Commissionâs plans on Tuesday. Also on Wednesday during the votes, many individual MEPs gave passionate pleas in their one-minute speaking slots.
GroenLinks MEP Bas Eickhout is satisfied with the outcome of the European Parliament vote on the Green Deal plans. According to him, the Parliament is clear: the Green Deal is a good starting point but more needs to be done on all fronts than what the European Commission currently proposes.
When it comes to tackling climate change and combating biodiversity loss, the European Parliament expresses itself more decisively than the Commission. The same applies here: the European Parliament wants to see more ambition. For example, the Commission advocates reducing free emission allowances for aviation, but the Parliament aims to completely eliminate air pollution.
The European Parliament also indicates that much more must be done regarding legislative proposals currently under negotiation. This especially concerns the European Common Agricultural Policy, which is currently continuing down the old harmful path. The Parliament wants the Commission to re-examine the agricultural proposals to bring them in line with the Green Deal objectives.