Despite the ECR Group’s efforts to reject or suspend the Commission’s proposal for a binding climate target for 2040, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate, and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted a report in which it endorsed setting an EU emissions reduction target of 90 percent. The ECR Group’s shadow rapporteur on this issue, PiS MEP Anna Zalewska, warned that such an ambitious target could weaken Europe’s industrial base and its defense capabilities.
Zalewska emphasized: “Europe’s pursuit of climate neutrality requires a realistic and responsible approach. The 90 percent target is completely detached from economic reality. Citizens and businesses are already struggling—the situation has become unbearable. Additional burdens on households and businesses are accelerating deindustrialization and undermining Europe’s competitiveness amid growing geopolitical pressure. This looks like a reckless gamble against common sense — pretending that such a drastic reduction is possible with current technologies, despite Europe’s lag in many sectors, already high energy prices, and the ongoing war in Ukraine, which requires a stronger European defense.”
The ECR Group has proposed a joint compromise calling for the suspension of the 2040 target, until the Commission meets key preconditions, such as ensuring affordable energy, lowering production costs, and implementing concrete measures to support European industry.
Following the vote in the ENVI Committee, the ECR Group announced that it would table amendments during this week’s mini-plenary session to reject the 2040 target and introduce safeguards in future legislation. These amendments will require the Commission to take into account Europe’s competitiveness, protect households from energy price shocks, and prevent new fiscal burdens, such as the ETS2 system.
“We remain committed to a realistic and pragmatic climate policy that protects Europe’s environment without sacrificing its economy or citizens’ quality of life,” Zalewska concluded.
