The main part of the new European Commission’s five-year policy plan, the Green Deal, will be presented on Wednesday by President Ursula von der Leyen. Its content and scope are decisive not only for climate and environmental policy but also for the new organization of the European Common Agricultural Policy.
The first parts of the European ‘Green Deal’ have already been made public in recent weeks. For example, new taxes will be imposed on air pollution caused by car traffic, as well as by shipping and airlines. It is clear that this Green Deal also pushes for high environmental and climate ambitions in the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Among the elements now announced is the ‘Farm to Fork Strategy.’ This aims to reduce the use of plant protection products by half within ten years, with replacements for chemical crop protection and an expansion of organic farming.
European Commissioner Frans Timmermans plans to present a new European Climate Law in three months, which will enshrine the goal of climate neutrality by 2050. In addition, there will be a plan to raise the EU’s 2030 climate target to at least 50 percent. This plan is expected in October next year.
Under the motto ‘Preserving Europe’s Natural Capital,’ work is also underway on an EU biodiversity strategy. The objective is to limit the loss of biodiversity. The EU vision aspires to be a global leader in this area.
The European Commission is furthermore developing a new forest strategy with goals for reforestation and forest restoration in Europe. Deforestation will be countered. With the plan ‘Zero Pollution Europe,’ Brussels promises to take action against air pollution.
This means, among other things, that air quality standards will be revised and aligned with the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). The EU will also adopt an action plan for water quality.