Czech politicians from both the government and opposition welcomed a speech yesterday by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, delivered to the European Parliament, in which he called for a reassessment of plans for a European Green Deal.
The European Green Deal refers to a series of policy initiatives promoted by the European Commission with the aim of reaching carbon neutrality in the EU by 2050. However, critics argue that the measures will further drive price increases of energy, food, and other products.
Tusk warned that disproportionately high energy prices could bring down democratically elected governments around Europe, and cited the issue as a priority of Poland’s EU presidency.
Czech PM Petr Fiala (ODS) said he agreed with the proposal, on the grounds that it would strengthen Europe both in security and economy. “It is us, Europeans, who must take care of our interests,” Fiala told CTK. “I have been pointing it out for several years and I am glad that more and more European leaders take this stance.” Fiala noted that Europe would now have to pay more attention to its own defence and security, as well as competitiveness.
MEP Alexandr Vondra (ODS) said it was positive that Tusk had proposed a major reassessment of the Green Deal, including the Emission Trading System ETS 2. “Politically and economically, the EU cannot afford to make the basic necessities of life more expensive,” he said, adding that Tusk’s proposals are the right reaction to the new US President Donald Trump.
ANO MEP Klara Dostalova also appreciated Tusk’s plan to reassess the Green Deal. “Only today it turns out that we were right from the very beginning and Donald Tusk has confirmed it,” she said. “It’s a pity that Mrs. Ursula [von der Leyen] can’t see that and is saying the opposite at Davos.”
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, European Commission President von der Leyen said on Tuesday that Europe would continue to maintain a green trajectory.
MEP Jaroslava Pokorna Jermanova (ANO) said she agreed with Tusk on the Green Deal. “If we want EU countries to be competitive, we need to respond. It is essential,” she said. However, she stressed that Tusk had supported von der Leyen.
MEP Ondrej Dostal (Stacilo!) took a reserved stance on Tusk’s claims that Europe has been and will be great and that Europeans underestimated themselves. “In the US they have Donald Trump, in the EU we have Donald Tusk,” he said, noting Tusk’s reference to Trump’s slogan Make America Great Again.
Dostal said a European Union that buys expensive American gas, expensive American weapons and wages wars on behalf of the United States would not be great.
In his speech, Tusk also warned that the “era of comfort” was over and that Europe needed to arm itself significantly; he recommended not disregarding Trump’s call for European NATO countries to spend 5% of their economic output on defence.
