2 days Ago
EU leaders have retained a prominent role for environmental policy in the next five-year political cycle, and put the instigator of the Green Deal Ursula von der Leyen forward for a second term as president of the European Commission. Relief tempered with caution has been the response from Brussels-based campaigners to last night's agreement on the EU’s five-year strategic agenda and its recognition of a triple environmental crisis, with some concerned by the possible impact of an overarching commitment to boosting Europe’s competitiveness and industrial base. “Our natural environment is facing increasing damage and disruption due to climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution,” heads of government acknowledged near the top of the document, which is intended to inform the policy making of the new European Commission set to take office in the autumn.
Early drafts of the policy guidance, leaked as it worked its way through back-room diplomatic talks, contained scant reference to environment policy, causing alarm among NGOs who feared it was being buried under concerns over global competitiveness and military standing. But recognition of a problem is not the same as solving it, as several groups pointed out this morning. The WWF noted a commitment to “ambitiously reduce the bureaucratic and regulatory burden at all levels”.
“Previous attempts to simplify legislation have often weakened environmental rules and standards that are designed to protect people and th.
