Far-right gains in EU threaten Green Deal: Experts

ANKARA / BRUSSELS

The recent European Parliament elections have seen a shift towards right-wing and far-right parties, raising concerns about the future of the European Union's ambitious environment and energy policy package, the Green Deal, according to experts.

Far-right parties, which increased their votes, have been vocal critics of climate policy, particularly in relation to economic impacts and industrial competitiveness.

Linda Kalcher, executive director of the Brussels-based think tank Strategic Perspectives, acknowledged the legitimacy of some far-right criticisms of climate policy. She said concerns about the affordability of measures such as heat pumps, electric cars and home insulation for low-income households were valid.

Kalcher also expressed concern about the potential impact on Europe's industrial competitiveness if the status quo is maintained or if there is a rollback in technology or climate policies. This could hamper Europe's industrial competitiveness, especially in light of Chinese and US investments in clean technologies, she added.

Noting that the Russia-Ukraine war has increased energy costs and inflation, she said the EU should address these two critical elements to ensure a balanced approach that benefits both businesses and households.

She suggested investment and support programs to help households cope with higher energy costs and benefit from energy efficiency improvements.

Green Deal not entirely incompatible with far-right goals

Federica Genovese, a professor of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University, said the election results reflect citizens' assessments of their national parties rather than a direct endorsement of European-level policies.

She noted that the Green Deal is a comprehensive package with significant financial implications that even some far-right parties may be reluctant to abandon.

Genovese also emphasized that the deal aims to reduce Europe's dependence on global energy supply chains, in line with the far-right's emphasis on national sovereignty.

"There are too many reasons why even more sovereigntist populist far-right parties cannot completely destroy this policy," she said.

Noting that parliamentarians can vote independently of their group, Genovese said this could facilitate the continuity of the climate policy-making process.

She said some far-right members of the European Parliament could support some points of the agreement if it addresses economic growth and security concerns, even though some may not openly support climate policy.

She predicted that the agreement will face implementation pauses, be “diluted” and see changes to some of its articles rather than being scrapped altogether.

"For example, the ban on internal combustion engines may not appear within the next five years," she said.

Davide Panzeri, a researcher at the Italian think tank Ecco, emphasized that decarbonizing the European economy can bring improvements in terms of economic growth rather than just being an outcome related to the climate crisis.

He stressed that investment in the Green Deal is essential if Europe is to capture a significant share of the lucrative clean technology market.

Panzeri also noted that the deal is not well understood by the European public and that there is a need to better inform the public about the opportunities it offers. He linked farmer protests across the EU to a lack of understanding of the deal, noting that there is almost no legislation in the deal that really affects agriculture.

He pointed out that the far right is not a unified group and that different parties have different attitudes towards the deal. He also noted that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is not completely opposed to the Green Deal.

He said that while some aspects of the deal could be revised, he does not foresee significant changes in the overall approach, noting that the far right may demand more financial support from the EU to implement the deal.

*Writing by Yasin Gungor in Istanbul