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Peter Liese & Christian Ehler: Without flexibility, no 2040 target whatsoever / Enabling conditions key to achieve any target


“We think it’s very dangerous to criticise the European Commission because they intend to include flexibility in their proposal on the 2040 target. We don’t see a majority in Parliament nor Council for any 2040 target without flexibility. Even more important is that finally Europe will create the enabling conditions to actually reach any 2040 target, for example, for the ramp up of hydrogen, CCS and cheap electricity,” said Peter Liese, spokesperson of the biggest group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats) on climate, and Christian Ehler, spokesperson for the same group on industry, energy and research. While the EPP group didn’t fix their group position, the two MEPs expressed their personal views. 

On Wednesday, the European Commission will present their legislative proposal for the climate target for 2040. The leak has been widely spread over the weekend and says that the target will be 90% as announced but 3% of the ambition can be met with reduction efforts outside the European Union, so called Article 6 credits under the Paris Agreement. Also other flexibilities are included in the draft proposal. 

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clear commitment to emissions trading / small-scale bans and bureaucracy


“I hope and believe that Friedrich Merz, as the new German Chancellor, will be the decisive voice for the survival of European climate protection policy”, said Dr. Peter Liese, spokesperson on environmental and climate policy for the largest political group in the European Parliament (EPP/Christian Democrats).

“He is an absolutely convinced supporter of European emissions trading. As rapporteur for this biggest climate protection law of all time, I have involved him intensively in the consultations and have always been able to rely on him. At the EPP Congress in Valencia, Friedrich Merz was one of the few people who spoke about climate protection and emissions trading in particular”, affirms Peter Liese, who has known Merz for 30 years and is his successor in the European Parliament.

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Christian Democrats, Center and Center-Right will not benefit when they copy Trump 


“The EPP and its member parties should learn from the elections in Australia and Canada”, this said Peter Liese, spokesperson of the largest parliamentary group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats), after the two elections.
In both cases the conservative opposition, lost the election, because voters had the impression that they were too close to Donald Trump. 


“I am convinced: The majority of the center and center-right voters in western democracies don't want a Trumpist policy. We need to improve the situation, reduce bureaucracy and keep control about migration. Radical solutions like stepping out of the Paris agreement are not valued by the voters. The future is a pragmatic market-based climate policy, social market economy that doesn't ignore the needs of those in need. Not Trumpism”, insisted Liese.

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Peter Liese: Shaping European climate protection so that we are a role model for the world / Emissions trading as a key instrument at risk / Ambitious but realistic climate targets for after 2030 crucial for international process

2024 was the warmest year of our weather records. The Copernicus report also states that the European continent is warming at an above-average rate. Peter Liese, environmental spokesperson for the largest political group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats), said: “The report once again makes it clear to us how dramatic the situation is and how important effective climate protection is. In many parts of Europe we are experiencing extreme drought. Unfortunately, we cannot tackle the problem of climate change alone. That is why focussing on global climate protection is absolutely crucial. Our measures must be designed in such a way that, firstly, we are a role model for the rest of the world and, secondly, we reward those third countries that protect the climate and penalise those that do not. This means we must take a pragmatic approach to climate protection and, for example, reduce bureaucracy without jeopardising the climate targets, as the European Commission has already proposed in recent months.”

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