Debate: General Union Environment Action Programme to
Date: WEDNESDAY, 9 MARCH 2022
Speaker: Virginijus Sinkevičius
Language: EN

Our citizens, in particular the youngest, expect us to address the climate and environmental crisis. Yes, in the meantime, tragically, we are facing a new crisis caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine, which is threatening peace and stability in Europe and beyond. It focuses our energy and attention, and rightly so. But the immense threat caused by climate change and by the destruction of our ecosystems remain and the war and its impact make our fight against this crisis even more relevant and more urgent than before. With the eighth EAP, we have a joint strategy to 2030 and for the green transition. Its strong narrative will focus minds and get everyone on board. It’s a plan for regional and local authorities, for citizens and businesses, for entrepreneurs, scientists and researchers.  And thank you for recalling today the key challenges ahead. The need to review our tax system, the commitment to move to a well-being economy and environmental governance are all extremely important. Let me briefly address some of the key points raised in today’s debate. Concerning the next steps on environmentally harmful subsidies. I can say that we have a good plan, but very challenging circumstances. The eighth EAP supports the Commission’s effort to take ambitious action on phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies as soon as possible.  We have to be clear that more subsidies for fossil fuels means less funds for other priorities – social policies, job creation, improving quality of life, including by better environment and less pollution. It is a fallacy that fossil fuel subsidies benefit the most vulnerable members of our society. There are other ways to help them. At the same time, those people are most exposed to environmental degradation and pollution. For fossil fuel subsidies, we will continue on the path set out in the governance regulation and the climate law. The Commission is preparing an implementing act for the integrated national energy and climate progress report, which Member States will have to submit every two years starting from 15 March 2023.  The EAP plan for adoption this year will also include a methodology for reporting on the phase out of energy subsidies, in particular for fossil fuels. For non-fossil fuel subsidies, there will be a sequencing of steps, notably on monitoring, reporting and a toolbox for phasing them out.  Let me now say just a few words on the focus on well-being. The beyond GDP narrative is very important to me. We need to ensure that we have a comprehensive approach to people, planet and prosperity. Beyond GDP does not mean we do not care about people’s income, about energy or other forms of poverty. It’s just the opposite. The beyond GDP narrative and the Commission has developed many new indicators in recent years to measure progress, especially on well-being and planetary boundaries, and the sustainable development goals are now being mainstreamed in all policy cycles, including the upcoming European Semester Spring Package.  Now we are working also on finalising the monitoring framework for the eighth EAP. Once this is done, I will further pursue the EAP call for measuring economic performance and societal progress beyond GDP and moving towards using well-being as a compass for policy.  Honourable Members, dear colleagues, thank you once again for your support, for your relentless work and for your commitment to achieve this very good result.