Peter Liese: Wopke Hoekstra and Jessika Roswall stand for a smart reorientation of climate and environmental policy, retention of targets and more consideration for industry, small and medium-sized enterprises and agriculture / Own Commissioner for cutting red tape an important sign / Hungarian candidate for Health Commissioner is viewed critically
Dr. Peter Liese, environmental policy spokesperson for the largest political group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats), welcomed the selection of Commissioners by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the climate and environment dossiers. Wopke Hoesktra will remain Climate Commissioner. “In contrast to his predecessor Frans Timmermans, Wopke Hoekstra has been very active in international climate policy and was involved in a major breakthrough at the climate conference in Dubai just a few weeks after his appointment. We cannot stop climate change on our own, but must focus much more on global emissions. Wopke Hoekstra is the right man for the job. Jessika Roswall, the current Swedish Minister for Europe, is to become Commissioner for the Environment. I think this is a good choice. We need a more pragmatic approach to environmental policy, above all less bureaucracy, and in the event of conflicting objectives, e.g. between bans on chemicals and climate protection, decisions must be taken in favour of climate protection.”
According to Liese, it is particularly important that with Valdis Dombrovskis Ursula von der Leyen nominated a special Commissioner for Implementation and Simplification: “There is almost nothing that people are more upset about than bureaucracy. We urgently need to achieve success here.”
Liese is very critical of the proposal to install the Hungarian candidate Olivér Várhelyi as Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare: “Várhelyi not only has the flaw that he was proposed by Viktor Orbán, he has also made a lot of mistakes as a controversial Commissioner for Enlargement. I can hardly imagine that he will survive the hearings in the Committee on Environment and Health.”
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