Conference on the Future of Europe: recommendation 11

The European citizens expect concrete resultats from the Conference on the Future of Europe. Foto: Philippe STIRNWEISS / © European Union 2022 / Source EP

(Elsa Woeffler) – « We recommend that the EU actively promote greener production processes, by subsidizing or otherwise rewarding companies that invest in reducing the environmental costs of their production. We also call for an effort to re-cultivate post-industrial sites and create protected green zones around existing sites. Companies should be required to fund these efforts, at least in part, from their own pockets »

Acting for a more responsible ecological transition and in particular for a more responsible production: this is the cry of the European citizens. Indeed, the latest reports, in particular that of the IPCC, are alarming and there is not much time left to achieve a correct and sustainable ecological transition. Enabling EU companies to invest in reducing the environmental costs of their production sites also means helping them and promoting new ecological production processes. If the EU promotes and rewards responsible companies, others will follow the model, in order to enable a reduction in emissions. Also, in order to revegetate areas without vegetation, the citizens’ panel had the idea of re-cultivating post-industrial sites. That is, to allow polluted sites to benefit from the creation of green areas around them.

In the current European Union, there is very little promotion and subsidy for companies wishing to participate in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by choosing more environmentally friendly processes at their production sites. Indeed, even though environmental protection has become more and more important in the public debate in recent years, the European Union is often held back in implementing measures. This is due to strong tensions between the growth needs of certain countries and competitiveness issues for others, but also to budgetary constraints, which means that environmental issues take a back seat. However, with the economic crisis, it will be more and more necessary to take part in new environmental directives.

The deadline of 2030 is approaching: this is the year in which the European Union has set strong commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, but at the same time to increase renewable energy production by 27%.