In the Maastricht debate among European Leading Candidates tonight the Greens want to show that they have both the solutions, and the courage to tackle the climate crisis, protect European democracy and stand up against the far right and Putin.
Tonight’s Maastricht Debate is the first European election debate between leading candidates for the Presidency of the European Commission. It is organised by Politico and the University of Maastricht and will be broadcast live tonight.
Bas Eickhout, the lead candidate representing the European Greens, said: "The only futureproof route for Europe is to strengthen its climate policy with a Green and Social Deal that leaves no one behind. We all want to know whether Ursula Von der Leyen is committed to continuing and enforcing the Green Deal. We need a true deal to ensure European competitiveness vis-à-vis China and the US. We need climate action and to make us independent from fossil fuels coming from autocrats. Or is Von der Leyen prepared to keep Europe dependent on Russian gas?"
In recent weeks, reports have emerged about the links between far-right politicians, Russia and China. Bas Eickhout: "Will the EPP and ALDE defend democracy in the European Union? Or will they collaborate with the far right, as they are increasingly doing at national level? Will Von der Leyen draw a clear red line so that her European People's Party EPP stops collaborating with the far-right ECR and ID groups?"
Bas Eickhout concluded: "This is a time for politicians to be courageous and to introduce bold policies to tackle the threats to our future. The courage to put people and planet before profit: by challenging the power of major fossil fuel industries. As Greens, we have clear answers for these huge challenges. Let's make Europe independent of the fossil fuel industry and autocrats. We have the courage needed to tackle climate change: by taking the measures to prevent escalating climate disasters. And the courage to defend our freedoms and values - against the far-right and Putin. At this June's European election, courage and freedom are on the ballot.”
This year’s Maastricht debate, unlike those in 2014 and 2019, will feature a representative from an anti-European party which has not adhered to the leading candidate process. Five years ago, all democratic parties recognized the importance of upholding democratic values by refraining from engaging debates with extremist, anti-European ideologies. Now, the Greens found themselves standing alone in this commitment. The European Greens commit to continue exposing the dangers of euro-sceptic and far-right forces. Our website “Russian roulette”, exposing the links between far-right politicians and Russia, launched last week.
Watch Live - Maastricht Debate, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. CET
