Juncker accused of rolling back commitments on environment

Europe’s leading environmental organisations have accused European Commission president-elect Jean-Claude Juncker of rolling back EU commitments on sustainable development and action on climate change.

In a letter to Mr Juncker, the Green 10 coalition expressed “grave concern” over the direction his new commission seemed to be taking, saying this would represent a “betrayal of the interests of EU citizens” in protecting the environment.

“It would also mean downscaling EU ambition precisely in one of the few areas where there is a broad consensus on the usefulness of EU action [and] would destroy Europe’s standing in the world as a pioneer and champion of tackling the global ecological crisis.

“The move from a commissioner with dedicated responsibilities for environment to having this policy area shared with other demanding dossiers represents a clear relegation of environmental issues in the order of political priorities,” the Green 10 coalition said.

“The mandate to the environment, maritime affairs and fisheries commissioner seems entirely centered on deregulation, asking a review of all current major initiatives under way. It does not mention the need to achieve any EU objectives,” they warned.

The letter said Mr Juncker’s decision to merge the climate action and energy portfolios “could imply that climate action is considered subordinate to energy market considerations”.