European Green Deal: A welcome and necessary step but now we need to see real action

Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the "European Green Deal" in the European Parliament. The European Green Deal contains a raft of measures aimed at tackling the climate emergency.

Ska Keller, President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament:

"The climate emergency calls for immediate action and we welcome that the European Commission has come out with plans for a Green Deal so quickly. However, we will scrutinise carefully what's on the table and how it will be implemented, as that's what counts. The climate cannot be saved by nice headlines alone. It needs real action and that we need to see next.

"The Green Deal has serious shortcomings when it comes to agricultural funds and trade policy and these need to be addressed for a truly ambitious climate policy. The Green Deal needs clear and binding measures that limit global warming to 1.5c, herald the phase-out of fossil fuels, and protect biodiversity. 

"It's time to exclude any future fossil fuel subsidies from the EU budget so that European tax-payers are not funding climate-wrecking projects. At the European Council summit this week, governments must link the MFF to the Paris climate targets and commit to half of all EU spending on climate protection measures."