Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice President-designate for the European Green Deal, is heard by the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), in association with the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and Committee on transport and Tourism (TRAN) of the European Parliament in Brussels to test his general competences, European commitment and specific expertise related to his portfolio. Statements by Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL) and Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice President-designate for European Green Deal.

Brussels

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

EICKHOUT, Bas (Greens/EFA, NL)

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

TIMMERMANS, Frans (NL, EC)

Committee on Transport and Tourism

hearing of Commissioners

2019 Commissioners' hearings (T)

hearing of Frans TIMMERMANS 2019 (T)

Hearing of Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice President-designate, European Green Deal: extracts from the hearing

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President-designate, European Green Deal, I think we need to extend it yes to other sectors such as aviation and the maritime sector but I also believe we have an existing legislation the possibility to look for tougher norms if that is necessary emission norms or in other areas. We will also have to review our energy directives and other directives. Many directors will have directives will have to be reviewed but I don't think it's a choice between one or the other I think it will always be a policy mix between the two, but we can't waste any time.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President-designate, European Green Deal, We have the possibility I think to put a proposal on the table for the MFF that says Okay it's perhaps a bit more than you wanted to spend, a bit more than a one point 00, but with that extra money were going to help Europe make this transition to a sustainable economy much faster and in a way that will offer a proposition to citizens and people in industries that need to change that is attractive.And I think there is a deal possible there between different countries in Europe including mine I hope.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL), Can you at least now make very clear that we are not going to do a two track approach because that's stealing your written answers a bit unclear where you say well we might do first 50 percent and later on 55 percent which will never fit in that year. You say well we need analysis but to be very honest there's a lot of analysis out there done by the Commission saying that Europe is on track already for minus 46 percent. If we look at all the coal phase out that are plant we are already at minus 50 percent. So all the analysis that is there already tells you that 50 percent is business as usual.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President-designate, European Green Deal, Bas is Bas. Great. Really great question. Look my position is this I would agree with you when you say we wouldn't have the time to have do different approaches but I also hold before you that going from 45 to 50 to 55 especially from 50 to 55, then you will be asking some really tough extra measures to be taken and you can't fault the Commission for wanting to analyse that and to analyse the feasibility of that. That's what we're going to do. And that's also what Ursula von der Leyen said before this Parliament and in that context I reiterate for me what is important is that as EU we have a position that has a meaning internationally and that makes us the leaders in this and for that I would say we need to be ready before the Glasgow COP meeting the latter part of next year, so that would be my trajectory.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, d, First of all let me be very clear. We will have to take additional measures in many sectors including the maritime sector and the aviation sector but we might come back to that later.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President-designate, European Green Deal, We're taxing the wrong things. I think we need to take a convincing argument to our Member states that they should also agree in the taxation system that could have a huge alleviating effect for ordinary people for middle incomes and lower incomes. These are the things we will need to talk about.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President-designate, European Green Deal, We are killing off carbon sink at an incredible rate through deforestation and that has an effect on loss of biodiversity as well. So I want the European Union to be extremely well-prepared in a intensive dialogue with this parliament for the next conference in China in October next year so that we have concrete proposals on the table to try and convince the rest of the world that we now need to take urgent action on safeguarding our bio diversity.