European Green New Deal in need of a refresh, and consumers welcome it
BRUSSELS, BE – A new report published in Politico EU raises concerns about efforts from policymakers to adjust European climate policies to keep the continent competitive and affordable for industries and consumers that depend on them.
Zoltán Kész, EU Government Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center, responds.
“We must remind policymakers that open, transparent advocacy is a cornerstone of democratic decision-making, not a crime. Europe’s industrial base is not the enemy of the climate,” said Kész.
“When companies and innovators raise concerns about competitiveness, jobs, and lack of investment, it is not different from what policymakers want. They simply provide real-world feedback on how ambitious climate goals cause friction with economic reality, especially as European consumers continue to face mounting energy prices.”
The EU’s ambitious climate schemes, from the Emissions Trading System (ETS) to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), are now central pillars of Europe’s industrial policy. Without serious rethinking on how to approach these issues, Europe will lose factories, jobs, and investment while global emissions keep rising elsewhere and energy consumers continue to foot the bill.
“Climate policies that ignore competitiveness will backfire,” added Kész. “If we drive industry out of Europe, we export jobs and emissions at the same time. That means consumers pay higher prices while global emissions are barely impacted.”
The Consumer Choice Center calls on EU institutions to ensure that any reform of CBAM and related climate measures protects legal certainty for investors and consumers and avoids ad hoc political “kill switches” or exemptions that undermine the rule of law. This includes other regulatory initiatives such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products, which too often discourage investment and production in the EU while keeping prices artificially high for consumers.
As the CCC wrote in the EU public consultation on the Green New Deal in 2020, as well as other open letters to the Commission, the unlimited potential of innovation to help solve the issue of climate change is too often dismissed to the detriment of European consumers. This includes re-adopting and legalizing nuclear energy, removing restrictive regulations on alternative fuels, and reducing the burdens on innovators finding new energy solutions to help power the continent.
CCC is hopeful that European policymakers will choose to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit instead of taking the path of bans and other restrictions, so that consumers can value their ability to choose and creating market conditions under which they are able to switch to more environmently friendly options.
“A workable European Green Deal must combine environmental ambition with economic realism, competitive markets, and more opportunities than costs for consumers. Creating political villains helps no one, least of all the climate and the next generation of Europeans,” concluded Kész.
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The Consumer Choice Center is an independent, nonpartisan consumer advocacy group championing the benefits of freedom of choice, innovation, and abundance in everyday life for consumers in over 100 countries. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Brussels, Washington, Ottawa, Brasilia, London, and Geneva.
Find out more at consumerchoicecenter.org
