“Slowing down on the Green Deal would imply a European transition “Made in China” or “Made in USA””

2023-10-05 05:30:06

The European Union (EU) has become profoundly greener in recent years. Its ambitious climate reforms, grouped within the Green Deal, today allow it to have the most carbon-free economy in the world. It is in Europe that solar and wind contribute the most to the electricity supply, we are also the region with the most electric cars, relative to our population, and which dominates the deployments of heat pumps. And that’s just the beginning.

By accelerating the development of renewable energies and encouraging energy savings, the Green Deal could allow the EU to reduce its gas consumption by a third by 2030, which represents considerable savings. Much more than a simple plan to fight the climate crisis, the Green Deal has established itself as a strategic and structuring choice for Europe. The ecological transition is the only way to free ourselves from fossil fuels, and from the volatility of their prices, which weighs heavily on our economies and our citizens.

But we must continue on this path! A little music has been heard lately around a necessary pause in the European Green Deal, considered too costly and difficult to implement. On the contrary, we believe that such a slowdown would be very detrimental to the future of Europe. The global race for ecological transition is well and truly underway and the lead that Europe has managed to gain in certain areas is far from secure.

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The United States is catching up with huge investments. China dominates in many sectors, and unabashedly positions itself as the global factory for ecological transition. Slowing down or stopping along the way would inevitably imply a European transition “made in China” or “made in USA”.

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On the contrary, it is time to think about and plan the next stages of the Green Deal, particularly industrial ones! The Union must seize the opportunity to create tens of thousands of jobs, reindustrialize its economies and take solid positions on the low-carbon technologies of tomorrow. European leaders will be able to build on the first step taken by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who proposed targets for the production of green technologies on European soil in the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA).

For this, you have to invest. More than we have done so far! According to the Commission, at least 92 billion euros are missing by 2030 to build a solid industrial base. However, apart from Germany and France, few states have the financial means to enter this race for green factories. The idea of ​​a European strategic climate investment plan should be explored.

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