Crises mastered well / Change of course in agriculture and industry was important
The Presidium of the German CDU (Christian Democrats, EPP) has just nominated the current President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen as the lead candidate for the EPP (so called “Spitzenkandidat”). According to the will of the CDU, Ursula von der Leyen will continue to be Commission President after the European elections on June 9. The EPP Group's spokesperson for environmental and health policy commented on the decision as follows: "Ursula von der Leyen is the right candidate in turbulent, difficult times. She has led us well through the pandemic and is showing a clear edge for Ukraine and against the Russian aggressor. She has also handled other crises well. As a doctor and health politician, I find it particularly important that she has put the fight against cancer at the heart of European policy. We can hardly overestimate her achievements in climate protection. At the same time, in the last few months following the departure of Frans Timmermans, she made a smart change of direction and addressed the concerns of farmers before the farmer protests all over Europe even started. I think she was very right to withdraw the proposal to ban plant protection products in certain agricultural areas and to propose reducing the protection status of the wolf. The change of direction has also begun in the industrial sector and, in my view, must be vigorously continued. Especially if we want to achieve ambitious climate targets, we need to speed up permitting procedures and set priorities. Not a single bird can prevent a wind farm to be built and we should not ban chemicals that are particularly important for the energy transition or for medicine. Important first steps have been taken here with the Net Zero Industry Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act."
The final decision on the EPP's Spitzenkandidat will be made at an EPP congress in Bucharest on March 6 and 7.
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