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Euractiv
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Euractiv
The future in their hands – the lawmakers in charge of Europe's climate bill
In the EU legislative machinery, the fractious European Parliament has the same say as governments over the fate of the 2040 climate bill, which calls for greenhouse gas emissions to be cut to a mere tenth of 1990 levels. The political identity of the lawmakers tasked with steering it through Parliament — and into subsequent compromise talks with national delegates — could profoundly shape Europe's future climate policy, and the message the EU will take to UN talks in Brazil this autumn. Here we introduce the MEPs in charge of the file. Lead negotiator Ondrej Knotek (Patriots for Europe) – The Czech lawmaker, whose ANO party was recently pushed out of liberal Renew group, secured the role of parliamentary rapporteur for the 2040 climate bill with backing from his new political family, the far-right Patriots for Europe group –which took control of the file this month, to the alarm of environmentalists. The experienced MEP oscillates between two extremes. 'We shall not underestimate the effects of climate change, and we are expected by citizens of European nations to address it in the most effective way,' he said last week in the environment committee. However, a 'better understanding' of the 'extent to which mankind is contributing' would be required, along with an assessment of emissions from other countries. 'Your green bad deal does not decrease global emissions, but certainly economically destroys Europe,' he said. 'How dare you … bring a new climate law in this situation,' he added. The shadows While not tasked with drafting the European Parliament's position on the legislative bill, shadow rapporteurs largely coordinate their party's work on the file, including proposing amendments and participating in negotiations with national governments. They are listed here by descending size of political group. Lídia Pereira (European People's Party) – The up-and-coming Portuguese MEP could be seen as the real force behind the 2040 climate bill, with the largest group in Parliament behind her and personal backing from the EPP's environment policy chief, Peter Liese. She led the Parliament's delegation to COP28 in Baku and is set to do so again at COP30 in Brazil. She has taken on most climate-related files in the environment committee this term. 'Europe has a historic responsibility, but this is also a strategic opportunity,' Pereira said recently. 'We need to have clear targets for 2040,' she said, but 'what is even more important … is having flexibility'. 'Europe has to continue to take a leading role, and this has to become clear at COP30,' she said. Javier López (Socialists & Democrats) - The Spanish socialist is an experienced environmental policymaker, having led negotiations on the Ambient Air Quality Directive and served as shadow rapporteur on the 2021 revision of the Effort Sharing Regulatio, the law that sets binding emissions targets to 2030 in sectors not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System, such as buildings, agriculture, waste, and transport. López is currently lead negotiator on a revision of the EU's water pollutants monitoring framework. 'We need an ambitious target of a 90% domestic reduction compared to 1990 levels, a target that is not only science-based, but also guided by social justice,' López told Euractiv. 'Such a target will give certainty to citizens, workers, and industries that the EU is serious about delivering on the Paris Agreement and fighting climate change.' 'This is not just an environmental obligation, it is a matter of social fairness, economic resilience, energy sovereignty, and inter-generational justice,' he said. Alexandr Vondra...? (European Conservatives and Reformists) – The Czech conservative has been tipped as the likely choice for the eurosceptic ECR group. However, according to his office, Vondra has not yet decided whether he will take on the role of shadow rapporteur. If confirmed, he is expected to oppose the proposal outright. The Czech politician recently called the 2040 bill 'an example of disgusting climate colonialism,' telling reporters he would not support it unless it is radically revised. Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (Renew Europe) – The veteran Dutch MEP, who sits with the liberal Renew group, is no stranger to climate negotiations, having served as lead negotiator on the original Effort Sharing Regulation in 2016. Gerbrandy is among a group of MEPs calling for the 2040 bill to be adopted before the COP30 summit in Brazil this November. 'We will work to have an adequate 2040 target on time for the COP30. I expect the parties in the centre to work together on this, because it is the only coalition of parties in the Parliament that can actually deliver results,' he told Euractiv. Lena Schilling (Greens/EFA) – The Austrian Green is the youngest MEP in the house, as her team often reminds the press. Her influence on the 2040 climate file so far has been mostly procedural but significant. She failed in a bid to fast-track the bill through parliament in the hopes of limiting the Patriots' capacity to influence or delay the legislation, then she co-led a successful effort to set a tights a tighter timeline, thereby clipping Knotek's wings. Brought up in the Fridays for Future movement that fuelled the 2019 green wave, Schilling is sharply focused on climate justice. 'I'm not negotiating this target just as a politician, but as part of the climate movement,' Schilling said in a recent statement. 'Our generation deserves a seat at the table. We won't stay silent while others decide our future.' Catarina Martins (The Left) –The Portuguese MEP, elected last year for the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda), is, alongside Lídia Pereira, a co-author of Parliament's COP30 resolution, which calls for strong parliamentary participation at the summit. In line with her group's stance, Martins argues the target should go further than 90%. 'We must stick to the scientific advice, insist on at least 95% emissions reductions by 2040 — and without recourse to buying carbon credits from other countries,' she told Euractiv. Martins said the 2040 climate bill had come came too late (the European Commission tabled it a year after the deadline set in EU law). 'Now [it] is in the hands of the extreme right, the same group that said at the ENVI committee meeting that they don't see any interest in this law – so it's not safe.' And that with a 'big help' from the EPP, she said in reference to the centre-right group's decision not to use its heft to put its own candidate in charge of the file. Anja Arndt (Europe of Sovereign Nations) – The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician is arguably the diametrical opposite of her Green counterpart – an unreconstructed climate denier. Arndt is known in the Parliament's environment committee for repeatedly denying the existence of man-made climate change. 'This policy is not based on science, but on feigned – yes, feigned – eco-religious fanaticism,' she said last month of the 2040 climate bill. More recently, Arndt argued that the fight against climate disinformation was a 'front-on attack on freedom of expression, freedom of science, and the truth'. (rh, aw)
Budapest Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Gál: Patriots for Europe is leading the fight for a more competitive Europe
Kinga Gál, Head of the Fidesz-Christian Democrats delegation in the EP, said on Tuesday that the Patriots for Europe group, set up a year ago in the European Parliament, is currently leading the fight for a more competitive Europe, including the efforts against illegal migration and the Green Deal. Gál, who is also the first deputy leader of the PfE group, told a joint press conference with Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally and chairman of the PfE group, that the formation of the group represented a clear message from voters in last year's EP election that they wanted change and rejected the 'disastrous policies' of the previous European Commission. The Patriots are dedicated to protecting the interests of farmers, businesses and citizens, and reject decisions that go against these interests, she added. She said the Patriots for Europe group was also making efforts to promote the transparency and accountability of EU institutions. Within a short time, the necessary number of signatures had been collected to set up a parliamentary inquiry committee, and the group had also been involved in setting up a new working group to review the financing of NGOs by the EU, she added. Gál announced the launch of a new website to improve the transparency of contracts between the EC and civil organisations at The website offers information on the details of 37,000 contracts representing a total value of 17 billion euros signed between 2019 and 2023, she added.
Budapest Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Hankó: It is time to launch a rule-of-law procedure against Brussels
Balázs Hankó said Hungary was not alone, with the MEPs of several other countries expressing their support for family protection and normality at the initiative of the Patriots for Europe group. Balázs Hankó, the minister for culture and innovation, said in Strasbourg on Tuesday: 'It is time to launch a rule-of-law procedure against Brussels, too, because what Brussels is doing to Hungary lacks any legal basis.' The rule-of-law procedure launched against Hungary 'severely discriminates against Hungarian university students, researchers and families', the minister said. 'Manfred Weber, Ursula von der Leyen and the Tisza Party that supports them are striving for power, and their goal is to erase Hungarian identity — but we won't allow it,' he added. Hankó, who took part in a conference on Hungary's child protection law in the European Parliament, said Europe's competitiveness was based on strong nations, which were based on strong families, having children, and higher education, research and innovation that 'answers real questions'. Hankó said the EU's infringement procedure against Hungary over its child protection law was based on an expectation that 'gender propaganda and sexual content should be let into Hungarian schools' and made accessible in the media to those under the age of 18. But, he added, Hungary would not comply because 3.5 million people expressed their opposition to 'gender propaganda' in a 2022 referendum. Hankó said it was good to see in Strasbourg that Hungary was not alone, with the MEPs of several other countries expressing their support for family protection and normality at the initiative of the Patriots for Europe group. Concerning the exclusion of Hungarian students from the Erasmus programme, the minister said he had held talks with the deputy secretary general of the Council of Europe because 'the EU's discrimination also concerns the students of the Council of Europe's 46 countries'. 'There are many researchers coming to Hungary from CoE countries, and they can't be excluded,' he added.
Budapest Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Fidesz MEPs: Von der Leyen symbolises the catastrophic decisions of Brussels
The Fidesz-KDNP group and the Patriots for Europe rejected her re-election from the start, but the situation has got even worse over the past year. Fidesz and Christian Democrat MEPs said that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen 'symbolises the catastrophic decisions of Brussels', adding the commission was 'pro-war, enabled illegal migration and promoted aggressive gender ideology'. The Fidesz-Christian Democrat MEP group said in a statement that Monday's European Parliament debate was the starting gun for Thursday's vote on a motion of no confidence against von der Leyen. The statement said the commission's policies had 'caused damage to Europe, European nations and millions of European families'. The Fidesz-KDNP group and the Patriots for Europe 'rejected her re-election from the start', but 'the situation has got even worse over the past year', they said. Von der Leyen was attacking national sovereignty, they added. The competitiveness of European economies was sliding, 'and energy prices and inflation are skyrocketing due to her sanctions policy,' the statement said. 'The Brussels Party of Peter Magyar' openly supports these decisions 'that make the lives of European people harder', the MEPs said.
Euronews
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Far-right Patriots for Europe lead negotiations on key climate file
The far-right Patriots for Europe group will lead negotiations on the EU's new climate target, MEPs and parliament officials told Euronews, a role that could derail the bloc's objective to reduce greenhouse emissions by 90% by 2040. 'The Patriots got the climate legislation file,' Iratxe Garcia, the leader of the socialist group told reporters during a press conference on the margins of the plenary in Strasbourg. 'They've got the rapporteurship… I mean it is the patriots who are going to be the lead negotiators.' Garcia referred to a recent Commission proposal to amend its EU Climate Law by setting a new target to reduce the EU's net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 90% by 2040. It is now up to the parliament and the council to discuss and adopt the text. Officials say giving the 2040 climate target file to the far-right Patriots for Europe in the Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety committee is the result of a complex system of attribution, which gives the large groups control over important files. The Patriots for Europe is the third largest group in the European Parliament and has 11 full fledged members in the ENVI committee, including from France's National Rally and Italy's Lega party. The group has systematically opposed the EU's climate policies, with National Rally leader Jordan Bardella calling for the immediate suspension of the EU's Green deal a few months ago. It will give the Patriots increasing influence over the EU's climate policy as rapporteurs are ultimately responsible for recommending a political line on the file. Though a rapporteur won't prevent other groups from reaching a deal on the text, he or she could slow down or complicate the legislative work. The Commission proposal is aimed at reaffirming the bloc's 'determination to tackle climate change' according to the Commission's website, and 'shape the path' to climate neutrality, an objective that is at the heart of the EU's green deal. The job represents a breach of the cordon sanitaire - the process through which centrist pro-European groups effectively club together to deny the right-wing fringe top jobs such as presidencies or vice-presidencies of the European Parliament's committees. The practice has historically excluded lawmakers from France's National Rally, Viktor Orbán's Fidesz and Matteo Salvini's Lega from power roles in the Parliament. Last October, Bardella and fellow Patriots' MEP Hungarian Kinga Gál filed a complaint to the European Court of Justice last week against their political groups' exclusion through the so-called 'cordon sanitaire' from leading positions at the European Parliament.
