Chiara Martinelli, CAN Europe Director:
‘Today, Ursula von der Leyen talked up a vision to fight for the future of our continent – and urgently addressing the climate emergency must be a central pillar to this. The Union is burning, flooding and drying up – yet the EU is still arguing about emissions ‘flexibility’.
The emissions reduction target proposal for 2040 that Ursula von der Leyen (barely even) mentioned in her State of the Union speech today is simply not enough to address the vast climate crisis we have before us. The speech named science as one of Europe’s most valuable goods, whilst the European Commission continues to ignore its own climate science advisors, who have made clear that we must go further. A science-based pathway means net-zero by 2040 at the latest.
Ursula von der Leyen was right to champion the talent, technology and tools that Europe has within its borders – but we must utilise these to achieve a fully decarbonised economy and a just transition for all. There is no excuse for stopping short of the finish line – the EU must now sprint, not jog, towards a net-zero 2040. Member States and Parliament must rapidly adopt policies to make this possible.
Ursula von der Leyen talks of a fight for the future of our continent – but when Europeans in burned villages, flooded valleys and drought-stricken regions now ask what the Union is doing – the answer must be credible, domestic climate action – not, loopholes, deregulation or false flexibilities’.
