7 May 2020 – The Director of CLG Europe, Eliot Whittington, has written to the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today to underline that CLG Europe continues to strongly support the EU’s climate ambition and the Green Deal as the EU’s growth strategy.
Eliot Whittington, Director, CLG Europe, said:
“It is essential that you and other decision makers are currently prioritising the challenges of immediate and longer term response to the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, the transition to climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest remains critical. The European Green Deal remains the paramount tool to align efforts behind a strong climate neutral economic recovery and that is why CLG Europe supports maintaining and strengthening its ambition across its different initiatives, including through setting 2030 emissions reduction targets of at least 55% ensuring that we achieve our climate objectives and align recovery efforts to build back better.”
The letter outlines how climate change and action to restart the economy are well linked – and the following measures can support both outcomes:
- Investment in infrastructure for the climate neutral economy.
- Support for innovation for the climate neutral economy
- Investment in skills
- Encouraging business best practice
- Maintaining policy certainty towards a climate neutral EU
15 May 2020 – The Director of CLG Europe, Eliot Whittington, wrote to Ministers in the EU Competitiveness Council to urge them to ensure EU Covid-19 recovery plans and the implementation of the new industrial strategy are closely aligned with the goals of the European Green Deal.
Eliot Whittington, Director, CLG Europe, said:
“There is now overwhelming evidence that well-designed public spending, investment and industrial policy can simultaneously create jobs and raise incomes while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental damage.”
