Europe on the ballot: how the EPP turned against climate politics

The author contends that the EPP, once a supporter of the European Green Deal, is now radicalising its position to align with far-right narratives. This shift is evidenced by the EPP's opposition to nature restoration laws, which the party claims would "lead to less food production". The text suggests that the EPP's strategy is influenced by the success of the Dutch BoerBurgerBeweging party and has led to policy alignment with the ECR and ID groups in the European Parliament. Consequently, the Greens are left defending moderate policies while the EPP moves toward climate denialism, potentially jeopardizing the EU's climate neutrality goals for 2050.

• The EPP has transitioned from an opportunistic supporter of the European Green Deal to a leader of the backlash against climate politics, specifically opposing nature restoration efforts by claiming they are "anti-farming" and would reduce food production.
• The EPP's political strategy has been influenced by the success of the Dutch agrarian party BoerBurgerBeweging (Farmer-Citizen Movement), leading the EPP to abandon negotiations on the Commission's nature restoration proposal.
• The EPP has shifted its policy alignment in the European Parliament toward the national-conservative ECR and the far-right ID, while facilitating the rise of far-right governments in countries like Italy and Sweden.
• Despite the European Green Deal's goal of EU climate neutrality by 2050, the author asserts it has lacked sufficient scope, failed to ensure a socially just transition, and allowed gas to be classified as a "green" energy source.

APA

Henriques, F. (2023). Europe on the ballot: how the EPP turned against climate politics. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/europe-on-the-ballot-how-the-epp-turned-against-climate-politics/

Chicago

Henriques, Filipe. Europe on the ballot: how the EPP turned against climate politics. Green European Journal, 2023. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/europe-on-the-ballot-how-the-epp-turned-against-climate-politics/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Henriques |first1=Filipe |title=Europe on the ballot: how the EPP turned against climate politics |publisher=Green European Journal |date=16 June 2023 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/europe-on-the-ballot-how-the-epp-turned-against-climate-politics/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{henriques2023europe, author = {Henriques, Filipe}, title = {{Europe on the ballot: how the EPP turned against climate politics}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/europe-on-the-ballot-how-the-epp-turned-against-climate-politics/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }