During the plenary session (11-13/11/2020) of the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs discuss and vote remotedly on Parliament’s input to the Sustainable European Investment Plan that would allow a smooth transition to a carbon-neutral EU in 2050.

Brussels

debate

plenary session

vote

TANG, Paul (S&D, NL)

FERBER, Markus (EPP, DE)

DOMBROVSKIS, Valdis (EPP, LV, EC)

MUREŞAN, Siegfried (EPP, RO)

LARROUTUROU, Pierre (S&D, FR)

European Green Deal (T)

Sustainable Europe Investment Plan - How to finance the Green Deal: extracts from the debate (12/11) and from the vote on the report Siegfried MUREŞAN (EPP,RO) and Paul TANG (S&D,NL)

Title: Sustainable Europe Investment Plan - How to finance the Green Deal: extracts from the debate (12/11) and from the vote (I-198526)

SOUNDBITE (English), Siegfried MURE&#536;AN (EPP, RO), Co-rapporteur of this own initiative report , We believe much of the success of the Green Deal will depend on its financing. We have set ambitious objectives there and we will only met the we will only meet those objectives if we follow suit with appropriate financial resources.

SOUNDBITE (English), Siegfried MURE&#536;AN (EPP, RO), Will next generation EU, the Recovery and Resilience Facility contribute to these objectives. We, as the European Parliament are setting ambitious green objectives also for the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The Commission rightly proposed thirty seven percent climate mainstreaming under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. We, as the European Parliament are proposing, are backing the Commission in the thirty seven percent but are going one small step further and are proposing 40 percent next year.

SOUNDBITE (English), Paul TANG (S&amp;D, NL), Co-rapporteur of this own initiative report, First, don't allow greenwashing with the EU taxonomy, we oblige the financial sector to back any claims of sustainability, but what kind of government applies a set of rules to others and not to itself. That's why we clearly state EU spending on sustainability must be taxonomy compliance. Second, don't shoot yourself in the foot. How can we spend money on fighting climate change if we subsidise fossil fuels at the same time? How can we spend money on social services if public money support company dodges taxes and exploit employees? That is why all EU spending, including the next generation EU, including through the EIB, should adhere to the important principle of do no significant harm.

SOUNDBITE (English), Paul TANG (S&amp;D, NL), Co-rapporteur of this own initiative report, Other income should come from taxing polluters? The polluter pays principle and indeed the Energy Tax Directive is out of date. The excuses have lost their effect due to inflation and it should be corrected. And let's face it, kerosine should eventually be taxed in line with other fossil fuels. With this report, the European Parliament shows how it bridges the gap between ambition and reality.

SOUNDBITE (German), Markus FERBER (EPP, DE), I have some difficulties in understanding why we're only talking about public financing here, because the public sector, the state, the European Union, public administrations and so forth cannot possibly come up with all this money alone if we want to achieve the objectives of the green deal. Let's look to the example of the Junker fund, it leveraged a huge amount of money which was so vitally necessary for investment from the private sector. And this is what we need to do.

SOUNDBITE (English), Valdis DOMBROVSKIS, Executive Vice-President of the EC in charge of an Economy that works for People, designated to assume responsability for trade, The recovery package is fully in line with a green deal, the commission also agrees as a parliament that leaving no one behind is now more important than ever. We look forward for working with the European Parliament in translating these ambitions into relevant sectoral legislations. Your report will be an important reference point as we push ahead with our plan to finance a green deal in a sustainable and fair manner. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (French), Pierre LARROUTUROU (S&amp;D, FR), My friends, the report we are going to vote on it recalls that an extra 600 billion investment is needed for renewable energy, for buildings and so on. The report gives specific solutions as to how to find these 600 billion and asks the Head of the governments not to loose time.

Remote voting on the 13/11, on the own initiative report: Sustainable Europe Investment Plan - How to finance the Green Deal (Panel: Total votes 688, + 471, against 134, abstention 83)