EU Draft Strategic Agenda Raked Over Coals For Vague, Toothless, Number-Free Climate Proposals

[hatrack]

A leaked document on the EU’s priorities has been criticised as offering little more than “a collection of buzzwords” to tackle the climate crisis and accelerating the destruction of the natural world. EU leaders are due to adopt a “strategic agenda” for 2019-24 at a Brussels summit starting on 20 June, but a draft has encountered a volley of criticism from some green groups, who accuse officials of lacking urgency.

The five-page document, drawn up by the team of Donald Tusk, the European council president, is intended to set the bloc’s priorities for the next five years in an “increasingly unsettled [and] complex” world.

Spanning migration, trade and the EU’s place in the world, the document avoids details such as targets, budget numbers or specific countries. While it describes the climate crisis as an existential threat and calls for an “in-depth transformation of [the EU’s] own economy and society to achieve climate neutrality”, some campaigners say it lacks ambition.

The document states that EU policies should be consistent with the Paris agreement, but spells out little detail about what that means.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/10/eu-priorities-climate-buzzwords-critics

[Ghost Dog]

1. More at EURACTIV:

... Migration policy’s top status in the strategy is unsurprising given the rhetoric deployed by some EU leaders, but it arguably does not accurately reflect voter priorities.

An in-depth YouGov survey ahead of the European elections on 23-26 May found that six countries are more concerned with emigration and brain-drain than by new arrivals. Although the study confirmed that immigration is a worry for nearly a third of those surveyed, other factors like corruption, climate change and unemployment rank as high, if not higher, with many voters...

... As things stand, climate change and green policies are only billed third in the draft plan, after migration and “Developing our economic base”. That is despite climate action featuring heavily in national elections this year in the likes of Denmark, Finland and Spain...

... Environmental activists Greenpeace EU warned in a statement that “this list of contradictory proposals suggests leaders will prioritise economic growth in much the same way as before, driving social inequalities and fuelling the climate and ecological crisis even further”. The group also pointed out that the agenda barely mentions agriculture or transport, despite both sectors contributing roughly half of total emissions. Instead, the draft lists the circular economy, renewable energy and reducing dependence on third parties...

https://www.euractiv.com/section/future-eu/news/leak-eus-five-year-plan-doubles-down-on-protecting-borders/