A leaked working paper by the permanent president of the European Council identifies the most important issues for the next decade. Issues related to the climate appear to have been left somewhat in the background. Not once was the European Green Deal, which is supposed to take Europe toward climate neutrality by 2050, mentioned.

According to Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform), this should not be understood as meaning green issues have been sidelined. Instead, she believes the document simply reflects Europe's new challenges.

"New crises have arrived, which are very acute. The security crisis is all-encompassing, because there is a full-scale war going on, and this has also set completely new challenges for the European Union," Kallas said.

Five years ago, a similar document stated that climate change is an existential threat. In a Eurobarometer poll conducted before the last European Parliament elections, citizens also said that climate change and environmental protection was one of the most important issues for them. However, more recent surveys additionally mention social protection, health, the economy and security.

The extent to which changes in public opinion or, for example, protests from European farmers will play a role in politicians' plans is not clear. Incoming Estonian Minister of Regional and Rural Affairs Piret Hartman (SDE) said agriculture could be affected by climate change on the one hand, but by also by the Green Turn on the other.

"All of this has to be done at a reasonable pace so that the sectors are not affected, so that we are not threatening them and not fining them, but we are thinking about positive measures, so that the agricultural sector can also cope with this green turn," Hartman said.

According to Keit Kasemets, secretary general at the Estonian Ministry of Climate, previous European Parliament elections have shown that this will not lead to a complete U-turn. Kasemets added that the European Commission and the current composition of the parliament have already taken the most important climate policy decisions and the next five years will be about focusing on their implementation.

"For us, the most important thing is to continue the transition to renewable energy, to really step up the development of onshore wind farms as quickly as possible, to support the development of marine parks, to support biofuels, their production in Estonia, and their use in Estonia. In the transport sector more broadly, there is certainly a greater role for electrification," Kasemets said.

The Green Turn could also have an impact on European security. For example, Kasemets said, EU member states have realized that relying on Russian gas was a big mistake and that the only alternative is renewable energy.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!