Ecology

The climate emergency is the number one policy priority, requiring a fundamental overhaul of our economic system. During the Val Duchesse Social Partner meeting, the European Commission announced the creation of a Social Dialogue envoy. However, the roles of social dialogue and collective bargaining remain underappreciated, and the European Institutions need to focus on strengthening the role of trade unions in shaping the just transition throughout the next legislature.

In late 2019, the European Green Deal was presented with pomp and circumstance, garnering widespread support. Just over four years later, as the current EU political cycle comes to an end, this support is withering. The European Commission has shelved parts of the Deal, scrapping proposals to halve the use of pesticides, for example. In the Council, the Nature Restoration Law hangs in the balance. And in the European Parliament, the conservatives have worked to reduce the ambition of the Green Deal, while  the liberals have called for a “regulatory pause”. Meanwhile, the social democrats are campaigning to put the social dimension front and centre.

At the end of the current legislative term, the disagreement within the bloc of 27 EU Member States on many climate and energy issues can hardly be hidden. However, new momentum is urgently needed to cut EU emissions, keep industries competitive and protect prosperity. With our 100% Renewable Energy Action Plan for the next European Commission, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union and Environmental Action Germany (Deutsche Umwelthilfe, DUH) put forth priority actions for the following legislative term.

When confronted with energy price explosions and the climate crisis, the EU cannot waste time and money on castles in the air. Instead of betting on unproven solutions far from market introduction, such as small modular reactors and the broad deployment of all kinds of carbon removal technologies, the EU should build on what works right now. Renewable energy sources have proven to be by far the most relevant and reliable solution. In our new 100% Renewable Action Plan for the next European Commission, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union and Environmental Action Germany (Deutsche Umwelthilfe) describe what needs to happen after the 2024 European elections to harvest the benefits of renewables.

The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy was designed to ‘accelerate the transition to a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system’. It sets a range of targets to be met by 2030, underpinned by a mixture of new or revised laws, and non-legislative initiatives. As the current European Commission nears the end of its mandate, this article proposes how the next European Commission, from 2024–2029, should carry forward the goals of the Farm to Fork Strategy, and actions to meet its targets, especially as the EU is currently stalling many of its aspects in light of recent farmer protests.

This article discusses the potential of a feminist approach to climate justice and feminist foreign and development policy. The authors, Gina Cortés Valderrama and Katy Wiese, argue that feminist perspectives are essential in addressing economic rights, energy transition, and climate-related damages and losses.

In fewer than 100 days, Europe’s citizens will go to the polls to elect their representatives to the European Parliament. The outgoing parliament faced historic challenges, from the COVID-19 pandemic to Russia’s war in Ukraine. It rose to the occasion, advancing key legislative proposals and promoting the European Green Deal as a flagship project.

The Europe that will go to the polls in June 2024 is very different from that of 2019. Pandemic recovery, the climate and energy crisis, war in the continent, and the rise of the far right are all driving the narratives of the electoral campaign, but also mobilising progressive forces. Roderick Kefferpütz interviews MEP Terry Reintke, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group and Spitzenkandidatin for the European Greens, on Green solutions for Europe in uncertain and volatile times.