The EU Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act and the risk of lowering environmental standards
30.4.2021
Priority question for written answer P-002369/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Manuela Ripa (Verts/ALE)
The EU Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act lists technologies that fall into the category of sustainable investment. We need to avoid unsustainable actions being enforced, while scaling up corresponding industries. The use of greenfield instead of brownfield sites, deforestation, the dramatic increase in water consumption and intrusive activities with regard to nature and wildlife might be triggered by such investments. Recently, a German report was broadcast, which listed all the aforementioned activities and showed how local authorities are disregarding European environmental law to permit a huge giga-factory to be built in the region[1].
In addition, a legal opinion by an attorney who has won two similar cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union[2] outlines the unambiguous violation of the Water Framework Directive by the local authorities.
- 1.Will the Commission assess the violation of basic elements of sustainability with regard to the EU Taxonomy?
- 2.How does the Commission intend to avoid the realisation of sustainable investments based on the current EU Taxonomy proposal resulting in a lowering of EU environmental standards? Have conditions for the sustainable implementation of these rules been envisaged?
- 3.How will the Commission prevent the EU Taxonomy from paving the way for a second industrial wave, which might be good in terms of tackling the climate crisis but detrimental to environmental protection?
- [1] Link to the reports: https://www.zdf.de/politik/frontal-21/frontal-21-vom-27-april-2021-100.html and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQa3uW3qBgo
- [2] Judgment of 1 July 2015, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V. v Bundesrepublik Deutschland, C-461/13, ECLI:EU:C:2015:433 and judgment of 28 May 2020, IL and Others v Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, C-535/18, ECLI:EU:C:2020:391 (http://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-461/13).