Manifesto

The European Commission’s “Green Deal” and its Industrial Plan have put it at the forefront of a global push for a more environmentally sustainable future, a simpler regulatory framework, faster access to funds, enhancing skills and improving trade. EFA supports the Green Deal in principle, as we must act together to tackle climate change. But we are concerned that its centralised top-down approach is having a disproportionate social and economic impact on certain sectors and regions. Above all, we need to preserve the integrity of the internal market and the global competitiveness of the EU.

A transition is essential to secure our planet, but if it does not take the people and businesses with it, it will inflict suffering and poverty on many communities. For us it is essential that the burden of dealing with the environmental crisis does not fall excessively on hard-pressed individual citizens and small businesses or farmers – and that it is distributed fairly among Europe’s regions. We demand special adaptations for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and for remote, rural or peripheral regions and especially islands.

Farmers need regulatory clarity, and the time and trust to adapt their businesses to sustainable models. These policies cannot simply be imposed top-down: they need the active input and support of farming communities – those who know the land. Those who implement good practice must be rewarded for it. European law should be flexible enough to allow for case-by-case pragmatic solutions, while supporting farmers to adopt sustainable practices and promoting local markets.

Europe’s rural strategy should include a strong focus on the conservation of nature, biodiversity and the distinctive landscapes of Europe’s territories. In many cases landscape forms a vital part of our sense of identity and rootedness. EFA wants to recognise landscape as part of intangible cultural heritage of Europe’s peoples, and ensure that environmental goals are consistent with this recognition. We support the rapid expansion of renewable and low carbon energy projects, but they should be in harmony with the local communities: macro-scale projects have an unacceptable impact on the local communities, and even cause environmental damage of their own. It is possible to provide clean energy discreetly and in harmony with local needs.

We support the European Commission’s target, laid out in the European Green Deal and Industrial Plan, to make Europe the world’s first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. This should help to keep the global temperature increase below the 1.5 degree target mentioned in the Paris Agreement. However, regions and municipalities must have the flexibility to adopt their own strategies to achieve these commonly agreed targets: objectives identified in Brussels can be reached in different ways in different parts of Europe, taking account of the local needs and opportunities that each region knows best. The primary focus should be on attaining our existing objectives through fair and attainable means.