EU council: time for the EU leaders to endorse the green economy

Today and tomorrow, at the spring EU council meeting, European leaders are expected to agree on the European economic growth agenda, as well as discuss the EU budget for the years to come.

 

Several groups from the trade unions, industry groups, business leaders, and NGOs have called for leaders to endorse the green economy as part of a recovery package, arguing that it will result in both wealth and stability. The Greens/EFA group has demonstrated for a long time how energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other investments in renewable energy sources, rather than importing expensive fossil fuels, can create jobs and drive clean development in Europe. We now really hope that this new meeting will deliver and that the EU heads of state will answer the numerous calls that have been made.

 

There have been too many disappointing European high-level meetings so far. Leaders are therefore under heavy pressure whilst simultaneously having a great opportunity to recognise the potential of early and effective climate action and make progress towards a green economy that will assist with economic recovery.

 

EU Leaders and particularly Angela Merkel have a strong role to play in pushing the green economy as part of the economic solution to the current crisis. The fact that Poland continues to block any progress on the climate front, arguing that compliance with the EU climate and energy measures will put Poland and other EU countries` economy and budget under threat, should not prevent the EU from moving on with the energy roadmap. Recent European Commission research has shown that investments in Europe???s decarbonisation will also bring great benefits to the highly coal-dependent east European country, thus contradicting all Poland`s arguments to the contrary.

 

Green economy and climate-friendly European energy systems are the only sustainable way forward. Fossil-fuel driven countries must realise that, for the best and smoothest way out of the crisis, there is no choice other than the one to shift to a greener industry and greener way of life if they are serious about protecting their wealth. Dragging feet and blocking urgent and necessary green action will lead us nowhere, and certainly not out of all the difficult crises Europe and the world have been going through over the last few years. As Julia Michalak, the EU Climate Policy Officer at Climate Action Network-Europe puts it:  ???Today, Poland`s GDP numbers may look good, but without green incentives for the modernisation of its aging energy system this prosperity might not last long.???... Clearly, continuing to import expensive and dirty fossil fuels from other countries will not help either.