This week, speculation on the intentions of the Juncker Commission faded to fact as the 2015 Work Programme was released on 16 December, right on schedule. In the areas of Circular Economy and Climate Change, topics that have been at the heart of the political conversation for months, it was confirmed that the Commission would indeed withdraw the Circular Economy Package while announcing it would pursue a “Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy”.
Only hours after the release of the Work Programme, a dialogue between Italian Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti and executive business representatives focused on these issues. The encounter was the third and final high-level dinner in a series of events co-hosted by Community Public Affairs and the Italian Presidency of the European Council. The two previous dinners welcomed Vice-Minister Carlo Calenda and Minister Beatrice Lorenzin, responsible for Trade and for Health respectively.
Mr Galletti is part of a growing coalition of national environment ministers who believe the withdrawal of the Circular Economy Package is a step back. They have urged the Commission to reconsider and work closely with the European Parliament (MEPs troubled by the move pledged to draft an own initiative report on the Work Programme next month) and Council to improve the current text. Despite promises by the Commission to retable new proposals for a Circular Economy quickly, the decision to withdraw the dossier was met by a chorus of criticism from stakeholders.
This discordance between the EU Executive and the co-legislators on the Circular Economy Package, together with Climate Change policies, generated a lively debate at the dinner with Mr. Galletti. Participants also had the opportunity to discuss the post-2015 environment policy framework and the new GMO measures with the Minister, ahead of this week’s Environment Council.
Under the Italian Presidency and Galletti’s leadership, the European Council already committed to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 in October. In November, an agreement between the United States and China to cut greenhouse gases set the stage for a relaunch of talks for a global agreement which began in earnest at COP 20 in Lima last month. Although no final agreement was reached, the 190 countries made progress and will look to finalise a deal in Paris in December 2015. In the Work Programme, the Commission confirmed it will work towards developing an EU vision and expectations in preparation for the Paris meetings.
It remains to be seen whether the Commission can deliver on the promises contained in the Work Programme 2015, and whether its choice to discontinue or amend 80 pending proposals will cause the EU more harm than good. Only time will tell if Juncker’s prophecy holds true: will this daring approach mean that it will indeed be “different this time”?