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BRUSSELS — On climate policy, Ursula von der Leyen is telling Europe’s conservatives what they want to hear.
The Commission president spoke at length about the EU’s flagship Green Deal in her State of the Union speech on Wednesday, but avoided any mention of new or ongoing legislative efforts.
It’s the clearest sign yet that the EU’s climate efforts are moving from regulation to implementation — a shift in line with demands from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) to stop burdening industry with new green rules.
“As we enter the next phase of the European Green Deal, one thing will never change: We will keep supporting European industry throughout this transition,” von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The EPP, the political family to which von der Leyen also belongs, has argued that additional green legislation would hurt farmers and companies.
In response, she promised a series of “dialogues” on industrial decarbonization and agriculture.
She then switched to German when speaking about biodiversity and farming. German EPP leader Manfred Weber had led the backlash against new EU nature rules before the summer break — part of the party’s attempts to court the rural vote ahead of next year’s EU election.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to our farmers,” von der Leyen said, adding: “I am and remain convinced that agriculture and protection of the natural world can go hand in hand.”
EPP lawmakers welcomed her speech.
“The next phase of the Green Deal … needs to be about economic realism. Regulating alone will not get us to net zero,” said EPP industry spokesman Christian Ehler, praising von der Leyen’s emphasis on ensuring EU companies remain competitive.
Left-wing MEPs and green groups, however, criticized her reluctance to step up climate ambition and defend nature protection legislation.
There was also no mention of the EU’s 2040 emissions reduction target — which the Commission is legally obliged to propose in the first half of 2024 — in her speech, although von der Leyen listed it as one of three Green Deal priorities in her accompanying letter of intent.
The other two priorities are a new wind power package and an initiative for water resilience — suggesting that Brussels is looking to better prepare the bloc for future droughts.
Despite omitting mention of the 2040 emissions target, von der Leyen insisted that the EU would not backtrack on its climate efforts.
“I am deeply, personally committed to the European Green Deal because I know it is paramount for our survival — but it is also paramount for our prosperity,” she said after several MEPs criticized her for insufficient ambition on climate.
Karl Mathiesen contributed reporting.
