Our Green and Social Deal leads the way on climate and environmental justice. The EU’s climate and environmental policies set the pace and ambition of action across Europe and beyond. Much has been put in motion, we are on a path towards the green transition. Now the question is how to accelerate the much-needed action at the same time as protecting living standards, especially for the most vulnerable.
Our societies can only be healthy and secure if we respect planetary boundaries. We are facing the consequences of climate change already: more extreme weather events such as storms, droughts, and floods, rising sea levels, desertification, and the melting of arctic ice and glaciers. One million animal and plant species are perilously close to extinction. The future of our planet and our relatively peaceful and prosperous societies depend on us acting now. Protecting the climate and environment is about protecting people.
The green transition towards a socially just and climate neutral Europe bears the promise of prosperity. We are working towards a better living environment and well-paid safe jobs in the heart of our economies. Instead of paying billions to autocracies for fossil fuels extracted and refined in third countries, we can invest this money in the production of renewables, keeping money and jobs in Europe, and investing in a better future.
Tackling the climate emergency
We stand at a turning point in history. Europe needs to face the climate crisis in its full urgency, reducing its emissions as rapidly as possible in line with scientific recommendations to secure the most liveable future possible for the years and decades ahead. The EU needs to be a global leader on climate if we are to ensure a liveable future for the planet and turn the tide on the increasing number of floods, fires and droughts in the EU and worldwide. At the same time, investing in a clean European economy and rapidly reducing our dependence on fossil fuels strengthens our economy, resilience and security.
Our work in the European Parliament and the pressure of the climate movement have helped make the European Green Deal a reality. We need to continue to strengthen the areas where compromises have left gaps and loopholes and raise the level of ambition. Over the last years, sceptics, lobbyists, conservatives and populists have tried to pull the breaks on the green transition and replace science and progress with misinformation, inefficient policies and continued dependency on fossil energy.
We welcome the late progress but continue to push for more ambition and the full implementation of the plans already set in motion. To recognize the climate and environmental crisis, we will push to include the right to a healthy and clean environment in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which must be directly applicable to all EU citizens.
Europe can and must take steps to go beyond a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030 and achieve full climate neutrality by 2040. These objectives should be set out in a revised EU climate law. We must not rely on false solutions such as geoengineering to meet our climate objectives.
A transition built on renewables
We will push the EU to build an energy system for all, based fully on renewables, that connects and powers the continent. Renewables are the economic keys to the future. Cheaper and safer than any other energy source, renewables helped the EU economy save 100 billion euros between 2021 and 2023 and bring down energy bills for households.
We want to transform our energy system to rely 100% on solar, water, wind and geothermal, phasing out fossil energy by 2040. Only renewables can ensure a habitable planet, geopolitical independence from autocrats, and a resilient and democratically managed energy system.
We want to put citizens at the heart of the energy transition and replace the current centralized system with a highly-efficient, smart and democratic energy system that prioritizes people, economic justice and the planet. Citizens should be involved in decision-making processes, for example, about the location of energy projects. Energy projects should be developed in ways that minimize their impact on nature. We encourage community ownership of renewable energy projects as it gives citizens direct decision-making power in them.
We want solar panels on every roof possible and to promote local solutions such as district heating systems, energy storage, EV charging and heat pumps. We also need to accelerate the development of a robust electricity grid with improved connectivity and backup to ensure stable power – also when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow.
Solving the climate crisis will create millions of jobs in sectors from renewables and construction to industry and transport. The “shovel ready” projects that we would kickstart tomorrow represent 2 million jobs in the short and medium term and our long-term transition up to 10 million.
Ending fossil fuels in Europe
The EU needs to phase out all fossil fuels by 2040 starting with coal by 2030. The EU needs a clear plan for the total phaseout of fossil gas and oil as early as 2035 and no later than 2040.
We will support massive and accelerated electrification in all sectors and ensuring affordable energy for everybody. We need to support the development of cheap electric mobility and charging infrastructure.
It is critical for the climate that we as fast as possible move towards renewable-based heating and cooling in homes and industries (such as heat pumps, district heating, waste heat, geothermal – and if necessary, sustainably sourced wood and waste biomass). We will provide help for those who cannot afford the initial investments to get through the transition and harvest the long-term benefits.
Suggested alternatives such as green hydrogen come with higher risks and costs for both consumers and industry. They should be reserved for backup in the power system, heavy industry, long-distance shipping, and flights where electrification is not feasible.
Europe needs a plan to phase out all fossil fuels subsidies by 2025 at the latest, and all other environmentally harmful subsidies by 2027 at the latest. The billions of euros from fossil fuel subsidies must be channelled into renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy savings. No European or member state public money should go towards infrastructure, that would lock us in a fossil system or hamper renewable-based electrification wherever possible. Economic incentives or derogations for luxury emissions have no place in a just transition.
Energy-saving measures to reduce demand are essential. Focusing on demand reduction and efficiency means using less and needing less energy – making it easier to green our energy system. The energy efficiency measures set out in recent EU legislation, such as introduction of the “energy efficiency first principle”, are major achievements.
Demand reduction should also be achieved through incentives for changes in behaviour, lifestyle and collective organisation, in line with social justice. In the transport sector, for example, phasing out short-distance air travel when reasonable rail alternatives exist, putting a limit on the weight of private cars or developing high-quality rail and bicycle infrastructure would lead to a reduction in energy demand.
Adapting Europe to an overheating planet
Decades of climate denial and delay have left us vulnerable to extreme weather and the rising anti-climate backlash will make the situation even worse. Floods and fires have destroyed homes and businesses, while heat waves put lives at risk in homes and workplaces.
To make people and places less vulnerable to climate impacts, we will introduce a climate adaptation law grounded on ecosystem-based solutions.
Nature restoration and climate adaptation efforts will restore water retention in the countryside and urban areas through the revitalisation of rivers and floodplains. To recognize the key role of water, an integrated approach must mainstream water into all relevant EU policies.
The green transformation must go hand in hand with a strong cohesion policy to make sure that all regions of Europe benefit. Our expanded EU Solidarity Fund will focus on climate adaptation and preparedness for natural disasters. Dedicated and direct funding from the EU for climate action can relieve budgetary and political pressure on cities and municipalities and allow the transition to be shaped and led locally, no matter who is in office at the national level.
Based on the principle of European solidarity, we will create a European Natural Disaster Fund. We will also expand and co-fund the European firefighting fleet, including pooled qualified professional and voluntary personnel, firefighting equipment, assets, and firefighting planes, as well as near-real-time monitoring and an emergency coordination centre. Strengthening civil protection will make Europe more resilient to climate disasters.
Zero-pollution is about health
A zero-pollution European Union with policies targeting air, water and land pollution will be a much healthier place to live. Air pollution is responsible for 300,000 premature deaths each year in the EU with children most vulnerable to the effects of fine particulate matter. We will push the EU to increase air quality standards for everyone, everywhere in the EU with no exceptions.
By 2030, air quality in the EU must meet World Health Organization guidelines. We will fight for a toxic-free Europe by 2030 by phasing out the use of the most harmful chemicals through a stronger chemicals law.
The climate crisis is also a severe threat to human health, seen in the effects that heat waves, droughts and other extreme weather events have on the general population. Reducing emissions now will help avoid a worsening situation in the years ahead.
Bringing nature back
From the birds and the bees to the moors and wetlands, we need to protect nature that is the basis for life on this planet. One million species are threatened with extinction linked to damaged ecosystems, pesticide use, and climate change. This mass extinction must stop.
From 2026, 10% of the EU budget must be spent on biodiversity objectives. Taking action against climate change and restoring healthy, biodiversity-rich ecosystems are two sides of the same coin.
We want to protect one-third of the EU’s territory and marine areas, so we can live in harmony with nature, including wetlands, forests, marine, agro-ecosystems, rivers, and lakes. We want to build a Trans-European Network for Nature that connects ecosystems to allow species to migrate.
As set out in the Nature Restoration Law that we fought for, we want to restore degraded natural areas and ecosystems across the EU. Working with farmers, fishers and local communities is key to protecting biodiversity and fighting climate change. The EU must fulfil the international commitments made at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in Montreal and take ambitious action in biodiversity protection and restoration.
Forests as Europe’s green lung
Forests are threatened by deforestation and the consequences of climate change. They are our lungs and life-support system, home to most land-based biodiversity and major carbon sinks. Forests also play a crucial role in providing clean air, regulating the water cycle, and preventing soil erosion. Forest protection and restoration are key for reaching our climate goals.
As Greens, we see old-growth forests, closer-to-nature management, and biodiversity-friendly afforestation and restoration as key for healthy forests in Europe. We need a common forest fire strategy through near-natural mixed forests. We are determined to avoid clear cutting and establish protection corridors. Emergency measures are needed to protect forests from poor management, pollution, and climate change.
Caring for our soils with sustainable food and agriculture
Europe needs a Common Food and Agriculture Policy to support changes in what we eat, how we produce food, and where we get it from. Farmers and agricultural workers are undergoing a double crisis. On the one hand, climate change and biodiversity loss threaten their activity. On the other hand, many in the sector are not receiving fair remuneration for the food they produce.
Every farmer in Europe should be able to make a decent income from their work. We need to address structural issues in the food sector, making our food system more resilient and supporting local production in line with food sovereignty. We need to make sure farmers are not exposed to unfair competition from products not respecting the same standards, including from third countries.
We need a fundamental shift away from subsidies for industrial agriculture based on pesticides, monocultures, and animal suffering and towards massive investment into organic farming and agroecological production. The current agricultural model is highly dependent on inputs such as fertilizers, animal feed and fossil fuels, including from outside the EU.
Years of misguided subsidies have concentrated landholdings and driven small and medium-sized farmers into the ground. The EU must promote a new agricultural model that reduces emissions, protect the environment, and foster social justice.
This green and social transition for agriculture, supported by retargeted EU funds, is an opportunity for secure and sustainable business models that will benefit millions of European farmers.
The Common Food and Agricultural Policy will condition EU agricultural funding on social and environmental criteria to provide quality jobs and increase food security. This means that one third of the EU budget will be dedicated to sustainable food systems that improve soil quality, cut emissions, and reduce food waste, while addressing the economic situation of farmers and reducing the negative impact our agricultural system has on developing countries. The EU needs to strengthen the plant-based protein sector and encourage a transition towards more plant-based diets, building on policy proposals including the Plant-Based Treaty.
Healthy food also means pesticide-free food. We must reduce the use of chemical pesticides to save ecosystems, keep soil healthy and protect human health. We will fight for a 50% reduction in pesticide use by 2030. Glyphosate is not necessary for productive farming, nor for weed control. Glyphosate can and must be banned, with economic support for farmers to make this shift.
GMO-free Europe
We believe that GMOs are not the solution to the challenges facing the agricultural sector and we want consumers to retain the choice of eating food free from GMOs. As Greens, we are committed to the precautionary principle and will maintain the existing regulatory regime for all GMOs and new genomic techniques. New techniques must not be excluded from the protections already set out in EU law for GMOs.
Farmers must be protected from agroindustry’s use of intellectual property law to enforce economic dependency. All products that contain genetically modified products must be traceable and labelled. National governments must retain the right to ban the cultivation of genetically modified crops.
Making animal welfare a priority
We will make animal welfare a priority at the EU level and fight for EU policymaking to pay greater regard to animal welfare, as required by the EU treaties. In reforming agricultural policy, we advocate for stricter rules on animal husbandry conditions, use of antibiotics, and animal transportation. Zoonotic spillover and anti-microbial resistance risk another devastating pandemic.
We want to end animal mega-farms and animal cruelty in industrial farming. While the European Commission did nothing with the historic European Citizens’ Initiative on ending the cage age, we will take up the citizens’ fight so that cage farming is finally banned. We will continue to fight for stricter rules to protect animals during commercial transport, including via a maximum of 8-hour transport time with a maximum of 4-hour transport time for certain species and categories of vulnerable animals. We also support a ban of the transport of unweaned animals transport and exports of live animals to third countries that do not respect EU animal welfare standards. We fully support the European Citizens’ Initiative on a fur-free Europe.
Our Common Food and Agricultural Policy will take the funds currently used to support unsustainable industrial animal farming and redirect them to improving housing systems and management practices in the interest of animal welfare.
Our commitment extends to stronger protections for all animals, including animals used in science, pets, aquatic animals, and wild animals. We will fight to end cruel practices such as the systematic killing of male chicks, force-feeding, fur farming, cruel hunting practices, and bullfighting. Additionally, we call for more robust control over the exotic pet trade through the introduction of EU-wide lists of approved pet species. Finally, we will fight puppy and kitten mills and advocate for humane sterilization and control policies for stray dog and cat populations.
Thriving seas and oceans
Europe’s marine regions need protection. The chemical and ecological state of our seas is poor in many places. Chemical and plastic pollution, underwater noise, raw material extraction, and waste threaten marine life, while excess nutrients leave many waters with little or no life. Current regulations need to be strengthened and fully enforced to fight marine pollution.
To safeguard our shared oceans and seas, we will introduce a Seas and Oceans Law. This law will ensure coherence among all marine-related policies and lead to clean, thriving healthy seas and oceans in a fair and equitable way by 2030. This law will establish the right to pollution-free and ecologically healthy seas and oceans.
To halt the further degradation of marine ecosystems, support artisanal low-impact fisheries and coastal communities, and build climate resilience, Europe needs to end overfishing and phase out harmful fishing practices. The Common Fisheries Policy must encourage the transition towards low-impact fisheries, fair and transparent quota distribution systems, and sustainable seafood consumption. This transition must be planned in close cooperation with fishers and coastal communities. Marine Protected Areas need to be effectively protected, especially from harmful fishing techniques such as bottom trawling.
The EU imports about 70% of its sea food, so it has a global role and responsibility when it comes to sustainable fishing. We will fight for more ambitious rules at the global level. These rules should promote low-impact fisheries in third countries, together with local and small-scale fishers, and reduce our imports of seafood coming from overfishing. Aquaculture, such as offshore fish farms, is not a long-term replacement for wild-caught seafood given its negative impacts on the environment, fisheries, local communities, and animal welfare. The EU must regulate the development of aquaculture and aquaculture imports.
We will fight against deep-sea mining and call for a global moratorium. It is high time to protect deep sea marine ecosystems. We will oppose any and all expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction.