"European Commission President Von der Leyen’s reference to heatwaves and droughts as the 'summer of truth' must be followed up by an autumn of action. It is not enough to ‘stay the course’ on climate action, the European Union must up its game with ambition and action. The European Commission’s deregulation agenda is weakening the EU’s response to climate breakdown", Ciarán Cuffe, co-chair of the European Green Party, reacted to the State of the European Union (SOTEU) .
"Europe is not on track to meet our targets for protecting water, biodiversity and habitats. The circular economy must be delivered sooner through ambitious legislation", Cuffe said.
"The cost-of-living crisis is being exacerbated by Europe’s dependency on imported fossil fuels. The faster we shift towards renewables the sooner citizens will feel the benefits. After the hottest summer on record in Europe, Von der Leyen’s speech failed to include the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis", he concluded.