Europe is witnessing a unique moment of solidarity. The European recovery plan unveiled by the European Commission on 27 May continues the construction of Europe as envisioned and begun by Jacques Delors. An economic recovery based on grants assured by mutualised debt shows that Europe stands in solidarity with those Europeans most hit by the crisis.
At the same time, Europe shows solidarity with our environment and future generations, by putting the European Green Deal at the center of the recovery and prioritising sectors with high transformation potential. The European Commission’s proposal is hence very good news for all those who advocated for a green recovery, as we did in our policy paper “Greener After” and in this op-ed, signed by Pascal Lamy, Enrico Letta and the Directors of the Jacques Delors Institute in Paris, the Jacques Delors Centre in Berlin and myself.
Moreover, the European Commission confirmed its intention to establish a Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism to reduce the risk of carbon leakage, in particular in light of persisting divergences in levels of international climate ambition. On 3 June at 10:00, Pascal Lamy and I will present our latest policy paper focusing on the how? and when? of a European Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism during a webinar with MEP Bernd Lange, Chair of the INTA Committee, and Sabine Weyand, Director-General for Trade. Register here!
Beyond, we are delighted that our engagement for the protection of the Southern Ocean is bearing fruits. In its new Biodiversity Strategy published last week, the European Commission commits to seek international agreement on the designation of large Marine Protected Areas in Antarctica. As part of the Antarctica2020 initiative, we have been informing on and advocating for this single largest protection action in history. The support of the European Commission will be key to reach an agreement during the meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in October.
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