The Commission announced the new EU climate targets for 2040, which include a 90% cut in emissions compared to 1990. However, they did not specify the targets for agriculture, as initially proposed: a 30% reduction compared to 2015.
The current EU President, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, welcomed von der Leyen’s announcement. Other EU leaders, including French President Macron, German Chancellor Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Meloni, are also facing pressure from farmers.
Yesterday, around a hundred protesters and fifty tractors gathered outside the EU Parliament in Strasbourg. However, Austria, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden have not seen protests so far.
Iratxe García Pérez, leader of the socialist group, criticized the decision, stating that instead of withdrawing the proposal, efforts should focus on reducing pesticide use and making the sector sustainable. On the other hand, Paolo De Castro, an MEP for the Democratic Party, called the decision “a step in the right direction” for a green transition “with farmers and not against them.”
Italian Minister and leader of the Lega party, Matteo Salvini, expressed satisfaction, saying that the tractors are forcing the EU to reconsider “follies imposed by multinationals and the left.” However, the leader of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, found this sentiment amusing.