Not everyone was buying von der Leyen’s sphinx-like approach. The French Greens, for example, broke with their group to oppose von der Leyen, denouncing her for not detailing a “proactive pursuit of the Green Deal,” among other shortcomings.
Green NGOs were similarly skeptical. Von der Leyen’s offerings “show there is no going back on climate,” said Chiara Martinelli, director of the Climate Action Network Europe. “But it is too early to celebrate. We see a big risk of the competitiveness and deregulation agenda overshadowing ambitious climate action.”
But the Greens, the European Parliament’s foremost champions of the Green Deal, had arguably been so desperate to join von der Leyen’s centrist coalition to prevent the hard right from getting a foot in the door that they effectively signed a blank check.
“If you ask me, is Ursula von der Leyen a green candidate to be Commission president? Or is this a green program? … I can tell you: No,” said Greens co-leader Terry Reintke ahead of the confirmation vote on Thursday.
“We have negotiated hard, we have made compromises over these past weeks,” she continued. “And for me, what is crucial is that the majority that holds today is a majority of pro-European democratic groups in this house because we need to keep the far right from getting into power.”
Louise Guillot contributed reporting.
