A hearing for Wopke Hoekstra was held at the European Parliament in Brussels. PiS MEP Beata Szydło asked questions of the candidate for Commissioner for Climate, Carbon Neutrality, and Clean Growth.
Beata Szydło stated that the commissioner-nominee’s remark that the Clean Industry Pact is intended “primarily to strengthen competitiveness” is very good news, “because so far, the European economy has been losing that competitiveness due to the changes being implemented.” In light of this, she asked how the pact would be financed. She wanted to know whether this would mean further indebtedness for the European Union, or whether, following the proposal contained in the Draghi report, the pact would be co-financed or financed by the member states.
The MEP also noted that ETS2 hits those in difficult financial situations the hardest. “If the Clean Industry Pact and the Social Climate Fund prove insufficient, will you suspend the implementation of these changes?” the Polish politician asked.
Wopke Hoekstra stated that concerns that those already in difficult financial circumstances will be the hardest hit are entirely justified. “This applies not only to Poland but to all 27 member states, particularly in regions facing hardship and among people in difficult circumstances,” he said, noting that this issue must be addressed in advance. In his view, “allocating current resources wisely will be enough to retrain people and provide them with practical assistance.” “However, if that proves insufficient, we will do more in cooperation with the member states,” the Dutch politician concluded.
