In the span of just four years, environmentally friendly measures went from seen as hampering economic progress to part of economic policymaking. In our retrospective about BEUC’s 60 years of existence, we coined the current decade the ‘transformational 2020s’. And rightly so. How did we get there and what’s next to make sure the sustainable choice truly becomes the easy one for consumers?
This blog is part of our 60th anniversary series, tying the six decades of BEUC’s existence to current day concerns.
In December 2018 – which now seems like an eternity – the EU decided that carmakers would have to cut their CO2 emissions by 37,5% in 2030 compared to 2020. While the car industry lamented the decision, at BEUC, we applauded the move. The surge of electric cars, on top of their environmental and climate benefits, would ultimately drive down costs for consumers. This would be a win especially for the less affluent ones, who would benefit from second-hand e-vehicles and cheaper running costs.
Only four years have passed, and the same policymakers have just agreed to increase the threshold from 37,5% to 55%. Crucially, by 2035, new petrol and diesel cars will no longer be allowed on the market. Interestingly, this time carmakers did not make such a fuss. In fact, many had already anticipated the switch, announcing their own phase out dates.
The landmark EU Green Deal
This change of mood is largely due to the growing awareness that we could no longer afford the luxury of limiting our climate action to bright announcements and setting long-term targets. Most policymakers finally understood that the climate emergency requires an urgent move from words to deeds and from high-level debates to tangible policy changes.
This translated into the launch of the European Green Deal in 2019. For the first time, thanks to this ambitious action plan, climate action stopped being a niche policy but was made an overarching objective determining policy changes in all fields of action of the EU institutions.
BEUC has been relentlessly supporting the Green Deal’s roll-out and pushing for high ambition on areas such as mobility, energy, housing, finance and food. We do so not only because we know the climate crisis ultimately threatens our mere existence but also because stronger climate action is an opportunity to improve consumer well-being.
The Green Deal is no baby step, it’s a leap forward.
And despite very strong headwinds in the past couple of years (a pandemic, the war in Ukraine, spiralling energy prices and surge of inflation), the European Green Deal has proven very resilient. On top of its historic decision on cars, the EU is going second gear on many fronts, such as rolling out renewable energies, and making our products and homes more energy efficient, to name a few.
Now, how to make sure policymakers’ enthusiasm for strong action stands the test of time?
Not resting on one’s laurels
Despite remarkable progress over the past three years, we have noticed some worrying developments recently. The European Commission has delayed – sometimes repeatedly – many long-awaited legislative initiatives. Think substantiation of green claims, food, or chemicals. We regularly remind policymakers they should not lose sight of their ambition.
Addressing untapped sectors should also top policymakers’ to-do list. While there is still a lot to do, some sectors – like mobility and energy – are on good track. In others, such as food and agriculture, resistance to change is stronger. Listening to some agri-food lobbyists these days echoes the car industry’s narrative back in the day, about job losses and too high costs. This is worrying as the way we produce and consume food today in Europe is a major driver of climate change, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss.
As recent developments show, the green transition is also fuelling a heavy competition to attract the “green” industry’s investments. A race to subsidies and public support seems to be around the corner. While it is valid to provide public support to new industries, we should always do so bearing in mind the objectives of the Green Deal and making sure that these highcosts policy measures are also benefiting individual citizens.
A sense of urgency
Although the green transition will take time, if we want it to succeed, we very much need to address the social aspect. While polls show that citizens expect their leaders to act much more vigorously against the climate crisis, there is also a growing anxiety that the ability to live more sustainably will become a luxury. Consumers − especially middle- and lower-income ones – should reap the benefits now. Consumers will not be so supportive if they hear that the situation will get better for them in 10-15 years’ time.
In the EU, we are generally very good at coming up with brilliant new rules, less so at making sure they are complied with on the ground.
This is the reason why we should set up mechanisms helping people to access more sustainable lifestyles rapidly. For instance, electric cars are only expected to become the new normal at the end of the decade. So it would be smart to think of schemes enabling people who need it the most – such as lower-income drivers obliged to commute long distances – to switch urgently. Actions must be faster than the time electric cars need to reach the second-hand market, i.e. in about 10 years. This is the current reflection in France with the social leasing scheme, and the same is happening for housing (with innovative financial instruments). Such examples must be taken up at the EU level.
The EU also needs to do better at enforcing its climate/sustainability policies. In the EU, we are generally very good at coming up with brilliant new rules, less so at making sure they are complied with on the ground. This is a problem across the policy board, and sustainability efforts are no exception. If we do not provide robust enforcement mechanisms to climate/environmental legislation, we will waste a huge energy and political capital designing and developing laws which will fail to achieve the desired effects. For instance, if policymakers adopt rules to make sustainable products the norm but overlook addressing the role of online marketplaces in selling consumer products, they will miss the mark.
We’ve come a long way since our first – but far from last – step towards clean mobility, when we managed to have the EU ban lead from petrol in the 1980s. As consumer advocates, we tend to only settle for the best and sometimes would like to go further and quicker. For sure, the Green Deal is no baby step, it’s a leap forward. And the road ahead may still be a long and winding one, but solutions do exist. It’s up to policymakers to make them a reality.
ENDS