Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission
24.3.2025
The Commission regrets that the United States is leaving the Paris Agreement, which is the most comprehensive global framework for fighting climate change.
The Commission will stay the course on the Green Deal as the EU’s growth strategy and deploy climate diplomacy to ensure that other major emitters also show ambition in reducing greenhouse gas emissions when presenting their Nationally Determined Contributions ahead of COP 30 in Brazil.
The Commission’s focus will be on supporting and creating the right conditions for companies to decarbonise and strengthen their competitiveness.
This means investing and ensuring access to affordable, sustainable and secure energy supplies and raw materials, including through the Clean Industrial Deal. The Clean Industrial Deal[1], adopted on 26 February 20 25, together with the planned Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act in autumn 2025, will reinforce the business case for the decarbonisation of industry in Europe.
The Clean Industrial Deal in particular focuses on energy-intensive industries and the clean tech sector. It includes initiatives to lower energy prices, develop lead markets for EU-made decarbonised products, and leverage circularity for the availability of raw materials. These measures will foster the clean transition and contribute to prosperity of EU companies and citizens.
- [1] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/9db1c5c8-9e82-467b-ab6a-905feeb4b6b0_en?filename=Communication%20-%20Clean%20Industrial%20Deal_en.pdf