Von der Leyen announces possible changes to EU climate policy, without sacrificing targets

The Commission’s proposal to reduce emissions by 90% compared to 1990 levels is a thorny political issue, with critics arguing that the ambitious target will adversely affect industrial competitiveness. In the letter, von der Leyen hints at significant changes, but makes no concrete promises. Instead, it urges EU leaders to stay the course on climate action, framing it as a necessary part of the bloc’s competition with other global actors.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced in a letter to the heads of state and government of the European Union (EU) a possible change in some of Brussels’ climate policies within the framework of the regulatory simplification programme of the EU executive, although she has made it clear that this will not reduce the “green” effort.

The initiative comes just days before EU heads of state and government are due to discuss the bloc’s post-2030 emissions reduction path, and on the eve of a meeting of environment ministers in Luxembourg. The Commission’s proposal to reduce emissions by 90% compared to 1990 levels is a thorny political issue, with critics arguing that the ambitious target will adversely affect industrial competitiveness. In the letter, von der Leyen hints at significant changes, but makes no concrete promises. Instead, it urges EU leaders to stay the course on climate action, framing it as a necessary part of the bloc’s competition with other global actors.

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