A European alliance for a green recovery has been launched today by members of the European Parliament together with ministers, chief executives, NGOs and trade unions from across the continent.
Pascal Canfin (pictured), chair of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, launched the initiative for a green stimulus to recover from the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis with an open letter signed by 180 signatories.
The call to action states that following the “devastating consequences” of the crisis, massive investments to protect and create jobs will be needed to bring economic recovery.
This, signatories say, provides an opportunity “to rethink our society”, adding: “the transition to a climate-neutral economy, the protection of biodiversity and the transformation of agri-food systems have the potential to rapidly deliver jobs, growth and improve the way of life of all citizens worldwide, and to contribute to building more resilient societies.”
It says that the technologies for transition, including renewable energy, already exist, citing the huge cost reductions in wind and solar energy over the last ten years.
The letter has been signed by chief executives of businesses including L’Oreal, Nestle and Unilever, as well as the chairman of Renault’s board of directors and the general secretary of the European Trade Union Federation. German, French and Spanish ministers were also among the signatories.
It calls for a “global alliance of cross-party political decision-makers, business and financial leaders, trade unions, NGOs, think tankers, stakeholders, to support and implement the establishment of Green Recovery Investment Packages acting as accelerators of the transition towards climate neutrality and healthy ecosystems.”
Signatories have committed to working together, sharing knowledge and expertise and “creating synergies to deliver the investment decisions we need”.
Last week the environment ministers of 13 EU countries – Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, France, Germany, and Greece – called on the European commission to push a Green Deal to aid in recovery.