Thread by @e3g

1/10 Tomorrow, @EU_Commission President @vonderleyen will make her 1st #SOTEU speech. The #VdLCommission’s been off to a good start with an ambitious #green agenda & the #EUGreenDeal, but the real test of her green credentials is yet to come...

2/10 Our #EU experts @manondf + @Pieter_de_Pous will be live-tweeting highlights during tomorrow’s #SOTEU speech at 9:00AM CEST.

If you’re interested in #euclimate be sure to follow along! In the meantime, here are some major areas we’ll be looking out for 🧐👇

3/10 Pressure by many including @Fridays4future and a #Green wave during last year’s @Europarl_EN elections left @vonderleyen with little alternative than to elevate the #green agenda to unprecedented prominence.

e3g.org/publications/t… #SOTEU @QuentinGenard

4/10 The #VdLCommission moved fast, combining #climate ambition with a new offer of solidarity around #justtransition for low carbon laggards, sealing a quick deal on a #ClimateNeutralEU by 2050 in December 2019.

e3g.org/publications/b… #soteu #JustTransitionFund

5/10 Then #COVID19 hit. While climate remains on top of the EU’s political agenda, the @EU_Commission faces the double challenge of rolling out the #EUGreenDeal while aligning #EU recovery efforts to a not yet fully developed #EGD framework.

euractiv.com/section/climat… #SOTEU

6/10 Tomorrow, @vonderleyen will present a new #EU2030 #climate target. The @EP_Environment backed strong governance and a target of 60% last week. Recent leaks show the @EU_Commission will propose an #EUClimate target of ‘at least 55%’ by 2030.

e3g.org/news/meps-pres… #SOTEU

7/10 Agreement on an ambitious #EU2030 #climate target by the end of 2020 will be crucial for
> Driving #greenrecovery efforts
> Shaping the #EU economy for future challenges
> Building 🇪🇺 credibility to shape the 🌍 fight against #climatechange

chinadialogue.net/en/climate/wha… #SOTEU

8/10 Key points we’ll be looking out for in tomorrow’s #SOTEU:
> Definition of the #climate target (warning, may contain offsets!)
> Initiatives and new measures to drive #greenrecovery
> #EuropeanGreenDeal diplomacy & support to #BuildBackBetter abroad.

e3g.org/publications/b…

9/10 Plus,
> Regulatory action to drive economy-wide decarbonisation particularly in industry
> Aligning CAP to the #EGD
> Helping the entire #EU become #coal free by 2030.

e3g.org/publications/o…
#SOTEU @PastCoal @EurBeyondCoal

10/10 So be sure to watch this space tomorrow as @manondf + @pieter_de_pous takeover to provide expert commentary throughout the #SOTEU

#EU2030 #climateaction

11 A good morning to all, and a 1-2-3 test, as Commissioners and MEP's are filling the Brussels hemicycle

12. Hard to catch all the MEP's doorstep comments as camera and sound not in sync but no surprises so far:

RENEW: european values
EPP: jobs, jobs, jobs
Greens: proposals on refugee crisis, climate, rule of law
S&D: Next Gen EU and strong EU budget, green, social and equality

13. And we are off, tone set with a pledge to move from fragility to vitality (for those watching themselves, youtube works better then ebs), we have the plan time is now to get to work

14. announces a legal proposal on minimum wages, respecting national social dialogues' role in negotiating wages, expected but important for securing a #JustTransition in moving to carbon neutrality by 2050 at the latest

15. Few details so far on new initiatives and competitiveness

16. Announcement of 55% by 2030 met by mild applause though not clear if this is due to low numbers in the room or different expectations on this between MEP's

17. This was a very strong pitch, setting out climate impacts, pointing out past achievements, a 'yes we can' moment: 'what is good for the climate is good for business and is good for us all'

18. And this is new: she will set a target of 30% of 750 bn EUR to be raised through Green Bonds, something that has been advocated for by MEP's @pcanfin and @BasEickhout

19. Expectations and love for #hydrogen continuing to run high with 'Hydrogen now expected to give industry a clean license to operate'

This will need very ambitious follow up action on developing a 200% renewable power system

20. Renovation wave continues to be a major priority, stressing the cultural aspects of this, calling for a new European 'Bauhaus', wants to involve architects, artists and students to deliver this

21. Back to Europe's achievements in fighting the COVID19 pandemic, stressing solidarity in access to vaccins, clearly pitching this as the opposite to a 'America first' approach and a lead in to a call to revitalise the multi-lateral rule based system

22. Now getting to China's role as a partner 'and' systemic competitor, bringing up EU's expectations towards China to step up its climate ambition and to lead by example, as part of generally more assertive stance on human rights and values

23. This was interesting: her jab at MS for holding up faster EU action on sanctions and calling for qualified majority voting to let the EU act faster certainly got the room's attention

24. And she will make a proposal for an EU level #MagnitskyAct

25. Brexit has become 1 among many foreign policy items and a message to Johnson over tearing up the Withdrawal Agreement coming with a quote of Thatcher that 'the UK does not tear up treaties'

26. Her announcement of an economic recovery package for the western balkans could potentially become an important lever to encourage this region from moving #beyondcoal and past gas, if an attractive enough alternative to BRI investment

27. A proposal on a Carbon Border Adjustment mechanism confirmed for next year because 'carbon must have it's price, as nature cannot pay the price anymore'

28. clear appeal to the northern European countries to do more on migration citing personal examples of succesfull migrants, Greece, Italy and Spain will appreciate this

29. Reaffirms Commissions insistence that rule of law is non negotiable, we will ensure that money from our budget is protected against any kind of fraud, corruption and conflict of interest.

Useful message towards the negotiators on the #EUBudget #NextGenerationEU

30. Announcing an action plan on racism and a new coordinator role in the Commission, though nothing specific on improving diversity within the Commission, because in this Union fighting racism will never be optional

31. and a very clear message to Poland, there is no place for LGBTQ free zones in this Union

Now coming to the MEP's reactions, first up, Vonderleyen's party colleague Manfred Weber from the EPP:

Leaves out climate from the priorities his party supports, it's jobs, jobs and jobs now. Wants to ringfence 30% of NGEU for 'jobs'

Next is the S&D, another party making up this EP's 'Grand Coalition':

Bringing up own resources such as financial transaction tax, investment, need consequences for break down of rule of law

Now Ciolos from RENEW, the third party of the EP's Grand Coalition:

Europe's far right gone silent, risk of misspending EU funds for credibility, rule of law top priority, congratulates on IA underpinning the new 55% by 2030 climate target

Moving to ID (strange order since Greens are a bigger group) who disagree with pretty much everything Vonderleyen is doing

now the Greens with Ska Keller (not part of the Grand coalition)

Focus on the migration crisis, asks for action against LGBTQ free zones, welcomes 55% target but warns against creative calculation, a reference to confusion over inclusion of land use towards target

Coming to the ECR now, main argument seems to be that everyone they disagree with is an ideologue

And last but not least the GUE/NordicLeft

Calling for environment to be highest priority, citing climate and social impacts, a move away from austerity, addressing tax heavens

Unattached was essentially 5 Star movement making a strong pitch for recovery to be green

now back to Vondeleyen's response

Vonderleyen challenges the far right fraction, 'yes you will have to put up with me saying this', to loud applause and doubling down on migration, rule of law

Useful comment from German State Secretary @MiRo_SPD representing Council: supports a proposal on minimum wage, also as an answer to populists who argue there are no well paid jobs in clean technologies.

As MEPs continue and quick recap of what we got:

+ at least 55% emission cuts by 2030 (details tomorrow)
+ 37% of #NGEU on #EUGreendeal
+ 30% of NGEU 750€ through green bonds
+ EU Magnitsky Act
+ more cold water on #NordStream2 from Merkel's party colleagues

a final thought on the #SOTEU as I'm logging off here:

EU is on track here to show global climate leadership, bring others like China along and yes, many hard choices still need to be made, but having climate and nature so prominent here is cause for cautious optimism