Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President,  puts environment first for EU.

Von der Leyen’s political guidelines document, titled ‘A Union that strives for more: My agenda for Europe’ includes various commitments on climate action including:

• A climate neutral EU by 2050
• An improved ETS
• A carbon border tax
• A move away from unanimous decision-making on climate and energy
• 2030 emission reduction targets of at least 50% and moving ‘towards’ 55%

Other notable environmental priorities include:

• €1trn of sustainable finance investment and turning part of the European Investment Bank into Europe’s climate bank
• A 2030 biodiversity strategy to stop biodiversity loss within five years
• A new circular economy action plan that addresses textiles and construction sectors
• A ‘zero-pollution’ target delivered through a cross-cutting strategy to protect citizens’ health from environmental degradation and pollution
• A “farm to fork” strategy on sustainable food

Von der Leyen’s guidelines also include a promise to use the EU’s budget to support the rule of law, which could provide a key tool to ensure the proper implementation and enforcement of EU environmental laws.