First The president of the European Commission is re-elected on ThursdayUrsula von der Leyen has vowed not to let efforts to tackle climate change weaken despite disagreements over spending among many member states.
In the document defining the priorities of the second term of the European Parliament announced to the public shortly before the vote for the presidency of the Commission, von der Leyen promised to put new policies on the table The Green DealIncluding a binding target to reduce carbon emissions by 90% below 1990 levels by 2040.
“We will stay on track with the goals set out in the European Green Deal,” von der Leyen says in the document, referring to the climate policy package that underpins her first five-year term.
It means the next European Commission will stick to policies to cut emissions and offer measures to help European businesses reduce their carbon footprints while maintaining their competitiveness – a “clean industry deal” that von der Leyen has promised to deliver in the first 100 days after re-election.
Before the vote, Reuters believed the document would help von der Leyen win the Greens’ vote.
For a long time von der Leyen was under pressure to water down its green agenda. Even the European People’s Party, from which it was founded, is demanding, among other things, an end to the ban on new internal combustion engines from 2035.
The document’s references to the competitiveness of European businesses helped it retain the support of conservative MEPs.
In her priorities document, von der Leyen insisted on the goal of banning internal combustion engines, which “offers predictability for investors and manufacturers”.
However, he said there was scope for zero-emission synthetic fuels to allow conventional vehicles to continue to be used, which MEPs from the European People’s Party insisted on.