BEUC's view on the European Green Deal

Consumers are affected by and will increasingly suffer from the impacts of a changing climate in their daily lives, including increasing prices for food, energy, transport and insurance premiums. To stop the continuing depletion
of natural resources, we urgently need to change how we produce and consume. Yet, multiple market failures prevent consumers from embracing these changes. For the European Green Deal to truly make our society more ecological, it needs consumers’ full buy-in.

The 2019-2024 European Commission’s major political project is an ecological modernisation of our societies to act against climate change while increasing people’s quality of life. It will be crucial that policies are designed and implemented with consumers in mind to ensure the buy-in of large parts of the European population.

In this paper, BEUC gives a first reflection on the European Green Deal (EGD) and recommends on what needs to be improved to make this project a success. We emphasise that:

• Structural changes and the creation of new infrastructures are crucial to allow consumers to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. 

• Consumers need the right price signals in all areas. 

• Consumer information alone cannot replace a thorough change in the way products are made. 

• Consumer organisations can and must play an important role in engaging consumers in the green transition.