The European Union leaders have officially adopted the Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029, recognising the urgent need to tackle the climate, nature, and pollution crises. The nomination of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to continue in her role for a second term is an endorsement of the Green Deal legacy, and building on this legacy is critical.

Urgent Action Needed

The agenda emphasises strengthening the EU’s industrial base and strategic independence, linking climate priorities to maintaining competitiveness, and leading the net-zero technologies race against the US and China. This focus must not lead to deregulation or neglect of other crucial Green Deal goals. Deregulation causes instability, which is detrimental to businesses, and it is crucial that von der Leyen resists calls from some of her allies to regress on environmental standards. It is imperative that the EU Commission aligns its actions with the Green Deal to create a decarbonised and resource-preserving industry that enhances human and environmental health. The cost of inaction is too high, and the EU would lose its leading position in the green transition.

A Unified Call for Action: Tackling the Triple Planetary Crisis

The EU’s most pressing challenge is not trade tensions with China but the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. Addressing this crisis is essential alongside strategic and social challenges. According to the most recent Eurobarometer, 84% of EU citizens support stronger EU environmental legislation, signalling a clear mandate for more robust action. The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and thousand of organisations and individuals call for a comprehensive approach to this mandate: a social, green pact for a one-planet economy.

“We need a race to the top, not the bottom. EU competitiveness and a resilient economy depend on accelerating the green transition. With binding goals for zero emissions and pollution, and most sectors on this path, the EU can drive the transition to a sustainable and competitive economy,” said Patrick ten Brink, Secretary General at the EEB. “Building on our achievements, the next EU mandate must forge a new Green and Social Deal for a sustainable one-planet economy—a European Pact for the Future.”

We call on Ursula von der Leyen, should she be elected for a second mandate as President of the EU Commission, to have ambitious political guidelines aimed at tackling the triple climate, biodiversity and pollution crisis. 

Sign the Pact for the Future

We urge everyone to review and support the Pact for the Future by signing. As part of this pact, we outline a blueprint positioning the EU as a global leader in sustainable competitiveness, aiming to create a socially just and environmentally responsible industry. By working together, we can achieve a balance that fosters a wellbeing economy and job creation while safeguarding our planet and communities. 

See our vision and goals in this short video.

[ENDS] 

[1] European Pact for the Future

[2] Euroborameter

[3] Strategic Agenda 2024-2029

For further information, please contact:

Christian Skrivervik christian.skrivervik@eeb.org