Terry Reintke accused Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders of failing to respond adequately to a summer of wildfires and deadly heat. Reacting to the State of the Union speech, the Greens co-president announced plans for a Green Deal inquiry focused on failures to implement existing measures.
“We have all lived through an absolutely devastating summer,” Ms Reintke told fellow lawmakers. She cited €2 billion in lost farming revenue and an estimated 35,000 heat-related deaths. As EU Perspectives previously reported, almost 700,000 hectares burned across the EU, intensifying demands for greater investment in disaster prevention.
Ms Reintke joined the more critical voices among Parliament’s political group leaders, although for different reasons. While speakers on the right accused the Commission of imposing excessive climate regulation, she argued that it had failed to act strongly enough. “Where were you, President von der Leyen?” she asked.
Greens demand investigation and fossil-fuel timetable
The Greens will request a parliamentary inquiry. It will examine why European institutions failed to enforce measures already agreed under the Green Deal. Ms Reintke said firefighter and medical workers who responded to the crisis deserved accountability.
She accused governments of weakening the Green Deal by challenging nature-restoration measures, reopening climate-related laws and failing to advance ambitious adaptation policies. Continuing to rely on fossil fuels while climate damage intensified amounted to “complete ideological insanity”, she said.
Where were you, President von der Leyen?
— Terry Reintke, Greens co-president
Ms Reintke demanded a clear timetable for phasing out fossil fuels and a windfall tax on polluters. She also called for a climate-adaptation plan supported by the next EU budget.“This is a crisis of European and global magnitude,” she said, arguing that national responses alone could not protect citizens.
She concluded by warning that Donald Trump, technology oligarchs and Vladimir Putin were challenging the rules-based international order. However, she rejected the idea that Europe was powerless and welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as a valuable ally.
