Brussels, 28 June 2024 – EU government leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels to set their political priorities for the next five years have backed a plan to prioritise corporate profits and military spending over the protection of nature to ensure a better future.
Greenpeace EU senior political campaigner Ariadna Rodrigo said: “Stopping droughts, floods and pollution is not about political ideology – it’s about livelihoods and survival. But the plan endorsed by the EU summit shows that cosying up to corporate billionaires for political survival is what many politicians are interested in. Failing to act in the next five years on the climate and nature crisis will drive insecurity, increase costs and threaten our children’s future.”
Europe is warming faster than any other part of the world and the European Environment Agency warned earlier this year that Europe is drastically unprepared for the impacts of climate change, which is wreaking havoc with ecosystems and threatening Europe’s energy and food security, infrastructure, water resources, financial stability, and people’s health and wellbeing.
At the summit, EU government leaders nominated Ursula von der Leyen (Germany, EPP) to continue as president of the European Commission for the next five years. They have also backed Antonio Costa (Portugal, S&D) and Kaja Kallas (Estonia, Renew) to take on the posts of Council president and foreign policy chief, respectively.
Contacts:
Ariadna Rodrigo – Greenpeace EU senior political campaigner: [email protected]
Greenpeace EU press desk: +32 (0)2 274 1911, [email protected]