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EU lawmakers have approved the new heads of the bloc’s climate policy despite one of the candidates confirming delays in the adoption of important environmental laws.
European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič is set to take over the co-ordination of laws under the bloc’s Green Deal plan, which aims to achieve net zero emissions in Europe by 2050. Wopke Hoekstra, the former Dutch foreign minister, will be the new climate commissioner, said Pascal Canfin, chair of the parliament’s environment committee, which held hearings with the two candidates earlier this week.
In written answers to EU lawmakers, Šefčovič refused to commit to a timetable for laws including regulating toxic chemicals and better animal treatment. He listed future proposals, including controls on microplastics and for monitoring forests, but merely said “preparations will continue” on several others.
These include revising the EU’s sweeping Reach chemicals regulation, which previously took seven years to negotiate, and rules to drive better food sustainability. A proposal to improve animal welfare has been narrowed to only focus on animal transport. The commission had promised to ban cages on farms after a petition signed by 1.4mn EU citizens.
“There will not be Reach before the end of the term [in June 2024]” said Peter Liese, the lead MEP on climate policy for the centre-right European People’s party. He said it would cost jobs and ban substances vital for the green transition.
Following the departure of previous climate commissioner Frans Timmermans, who left the commission to run in the Dutch elections, his portfolio was split between Šefčovič and Hoekstra.
Both candidates faced three hours of questions from members of the committee in which they had to defend their credentials amid heated campaigning from green groups who fear that the EU is rowing back on vital parts of its environmental and climate legislation.
They were called to provide additional written answers overnight on Tuesday after failing to convince lawmakers in their oral statements.
Canfin said the two candidates had given “concrete” responses and committed to some proposals that were “at risk”, such as controls on microplastics.
“It is not 100 per cent but substantial enough to give the green light from a majority of members,” he said.
Šefčovič, a Socialist, and Hoekstra, from the EPP, did commit to backing a reduction target of 90 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2040 en route to net zero by 2050.
A 90 per cent reduction, however, is at the lower end of a recommendation by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, which said that the bloc should aim to cut emissions by 90 to 95 per cent by 2040 to remain in line with its net zero goals.
In his written answers, Hoekstra said that Brussels would “defend” a “minimum target of at least 90 per cent net reduction by 2040”. The Dutch politician has agreed to publish more information about the clients he worked for during a stint at the consultancy McKinsey from 2006 to 2017.
Climate campaigners have also criticised him for working for Shell in the early 2000s.
The Greens backed both commissioners on Wednesday, along with the Socialists, EPP and liberal Renew. They should now be confirmed on Thursday by a vote of the full parliament.
Green member Bas Eickhout said his party had rescued some policies the commission had wanted to ditch. “We have won critical commitments on championing key Green Deal files, which would have otherwise been weakened or forgotten for the remainder of the mandate.”
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