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The architect of the European Union’s ambitious “Green Deal” says European voters will give up on the fight against climate change unless the rich fund everyone to go green.
Frans TimmermansHe, who now leads the Dutch Green/Labour coalition, said the “riots” were occurring because people were being asked to buy new boilers and cars to cope with rising fuel and food costs.
The former European Commission vice-president said the first wave of government subsidies for solar panels, electric cars and new heating systems went to the wealthy who were early adopters. “Public money goes to people who don’t really need it,” he said.
He said it was now time for the government to focus help on the poorest to quell growing support for “disingenuous” radical right parties promising simple solutions.
“this [ecological] Timmermans said unless the transition had an element of solidarity and was organized like a tax system where the rich pay more, the transition would be blocked by European voters.
He added that many wealthy people who should be going green still have high carbon footprints and consumption habits. In contrast, many poorer people “reduce their carbon footprint out of a painful necessity, not because they accept the idea.” High inflation and energy prices have forced them to cut back on consumption.
Timmermans, 63, who pushed transition policies in Brussels at breakneck speed from 2019-23, said policymakers should press ahead despite strong opposition to some measures.
He rejected requests from the auto industry for more time to switch to electric vehicles. Several EU leaders, including Germany’s Olaf Scholz and Italy’s Giorgio Meloni, have called for fines imposed on missing persons this year to be scrapped Carbon reduction goals Because the industry is already shedding workers.
EU carmakers also face fierce competition from cheap imported electric vehicles from China.
But Timmermans said: “The auto industry was dormant for 10 years while China and South Korea were reinventing electric vehicles, then complaining that they couldn’t compete, and then saying, ‘Well, the way to compete is to slow down the transformation’… The Chinese will corner the market.
He accepted the auto industry’s argument that politicians didn’t provide enough incentives or infrastructure for electric vehicles. “But it’s not the fault of EU lawmakers – it’s governments dragging their feet.”
He added that the EU should follow the U.S.’s lead and provide billions of dollars in new joint borrowing to help industry and consumers adjust.
Scholz called for pan-EU incentives to buy electric cars at a European summit in December but blocked the idea of issuing more euro bonds.
“We are experiencing an industrial revolution that is three to four times faster than previous industrial revolutions, so we are at greater risk of disruption than previous industrial revolutions,” Timmermans said.
This disturbing pace of change has fueled the rise of populist parties that offer seemingly simple solutions, he said. “The same problem exists throughout the Western world – the assumption that our children are going to be better off than us is gone. And then you become very protective of what you have.
This “increased insecurity” is fueling fears about immigrants, he said. “The radical right stepped in and very cleverly exploited this personal feeling, I would almost say anxiety, to say, ‘We’re going to take you back to the 1950s.
“This is essentially a dishonest political message because it leads to disappointment.”
In the Netherlands, the Green/Labour coalition comes second far-right Freedom Party led by Geert Wilders in the election a year ago. The veteran anti-Islamist formed a shaky alliance with three other right-wing groups.
They pledged to reduce immigration, reduce spending on education and research, and ease environmental restrictions on farmers.
But they have struggled to implement their policies due to internal divisions, resistance from the Dutch Senate and legal restrictions.
Timmermans said the Dutch government was “leaderless” and could collapse at any time, adding that he would prefer to hold new elections rather than try to form an alternative coalition government. “You have to give voters a chance to express their position.”