Elections Could Fracture EU Environment, Climate Policy Blocs

摘要

The European Parliament usually takes an aggressive stance when it comes to European Union climate and environment policy, but European elections that start on May 23 could change that. The Parliament—751 lawmakers from the EU’s 28 countries—has consistently pushed for the bloc to take on tougher targets in areas including greenhouse gas emissions reductions, renewable energy deployment, and energy savings. It also has advocated for tighter controls for plastic trash, pesticides, and genetically modified crops. About 400 million EU citizens vote in Europe’s parliamentary elections, which are held every five years. Such positions have generally been made possible by the Parliament’s largest political blocs—the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) group and the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats—voting together on the main environment and climate issues. In March, both blocs swung behind a call for the EU to become a carbon-neutral greenhouse gas emissions economy by 2050.