The EU’s new climate commissioner has never dealt with climate (but he worked for Shell)

He will lead the European delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai

(Rinnovabili.it) – Posted by Ursula von der Leyen it will be “Powerful resource”. For the Socialists, it is out of place because it comes from the family of Christian Democrats, who are trying to dismantle the Green Deal even at the expense of allying with the far right in Europe as we saw with Nature’s Restoration Act in July. He also does not fit in with civil society because of his background in Shell. He causes a lot of discussion even before his candidacy is officially confirmed Wubke Hoekstra to The new EU climate commissioner.

He could soon succeed the current Dutch foreign minister, Frans Timmermans, as the European Commission’s vice-president in charge of climate. He is also likely to lead the EU delegation to climate talks in Dubai in December. But the ongoing replacement process (Timmermans recently left to run in the Dutch elections as leader of the red-green coalition), even if it has dragged on for a few months since the Europeans returned to the polls next spring, has raised many eyebrows.

Read also Dubai Cop28: The Complete Guide to the UN Climate Summit

The main barrier to his confirmation as the new European climate commissioner — who will have to pass European Parliament scrutiny — is a huge hole in his CV: He never dealt with climate and the environment. He was finance minister (Von der Leyen, who was looking for a foothold, said he was an excellent person to work on climate finance), but heavy and complex files such as those he should study never landed on his desk. Like the next few weeks. Most provisions of the Green Deal have already been approved, but some of the issues at stake are still very hot. Above all, the new rules on the use and use of pesticides New genetic modification techniques in agriculture.

However, in the resume there is an assignment for McKinsey and another for coincidencethe leading European excavation company. “In the midst of the climate emergency, we need a leader with a proven track record and strong credentials to lead this important portfolio.”announced Claire Martinelli, Director of CAN Europe. A comment that sounds like an unquestionable distrust of Wopke Hoekstra. He doesn’t even understand the tones he’s using Pascal CanvinChairing the Environment Committee of the European Parliament: “He has to prove that he is the right man in the right place.”, he wrote on X (the new name for Twitter). He added, “There is no guarantee that Parliament will support him.” Muhammad ShahimVice-Chairman of the Center-Left Socialists and Democrats Group. “The likelihood that we will support him depends on whether he surprises us at the hearing. But we are not very excited about him.”he added.