COP25 – Three EU chiefs present ‘green revolution’ at Madrid

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, promised on Monday at the UN climate conference (COP25) in Madrid that the European Green Deal “is Europe’s new growth strategy” – saying it will cut emissions while also creating jobs and improving quality of life.

“This will include extending emission trading to all relevant sectors [e.g. shipping], clean, affordable and secure energy, the boosting of the circular economy, a farm to fork strategy as well as a biodiversity strategy,” von der Leyen said, in her first major public engagement since taking over the job at the weekend.

The first-ever European climate law to achieve a transition to climate-neutrality by 2050 will be officially presented in March 2020, although the package will be unveiled by the commissioner for the Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, on December 11.

Von der Leyen said she wanted “the European Green Deal to become Europe’s hallmark” in order to make the EU the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

However, Greenpeace on Friday accused the new commission of preparing draft new climate and environmental laws whose measures are “too weak, half-baked or missing altogether”.

According to the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, it was now time for a “green revolution”, following the industrial revolution, and the technological revolution.

“But we must never forget the people behind our policies. We must be just and socially-balanced,” he said, adding that not all countries have the same starting point in this transition.

“Protecting our planet is the right choice, the only choice,” he added.