Dispatch from the European Union | September '24

Stories to watch in the weeks ahead

• European Commission – The formation of the new European Commission will be the absolute focus in Brussels for the coming weeks. Ursula von der Leyen, who has been re-elected European Commission president by the European Parliament, is set to present her designated Commission team and portfolios to the European Parliament on 17 September. Parliamentary hearings are then expected to take place in the following weeks. Parliament organises hearings of the Commissioner-designate so that MEPs from the relevant parliament committees can assess the suitability of candidates for their proposed portfolios, a Parliament spokesperson told Clean Energy Wire. The process in Parliament will finish with a plenary vote, expected in autumn, where MEPs will have to decide whether to approve the composition of the Commission as a whole, she added.
• Commission Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič is to present the State of the Energy Union Report on 11 September. The State of the Energy Union Report takes stock of the EU's competitiveness and industrial leadership in the new global energy context. It is in this framework that the Electricity Market Design, Net-Zero Industry Act and Critical Raw Materials Act were signed into law. They are part of the ‘Fit for 55' legislation and support the development of clean energy sources, grids and stable markets across Europe.

The latest from EU policymaking – last month in recap

• Spain and Denmark – Shortly before the 30 August deadline set by Ursula von der Leyen, Spain and Denmark proposed their candidates for the European Commissioner. Madrid proposed its energy and environment minister Teresa Ribera. Reuters reported that Ribera has shepherded Spain's green agenda since 2018, championing an ambitious transition to a zero-carbon economy.  Copenhagen nominated Dan Jorgensen, a centre-left minister for development cooperation and global climate policy, as the country’s proposal for its commissioner. He is a former member of the European Parliament and has previously held the position of Danish energy and climate minister. Both candidates have played significant roles as EU negotiators in COP climate talks.
• Austria – Vienna has finally presented its plan for matching the EU climate targets, or National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) in EU jargon. The focus is on abolishing subsidies for activities that are harmful to the climate. NECPs must show how each member state will contribute to the European objectives for renewable energy, energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The deadline set by the European Commission for countries to submit their NECP was 30 June 2024. By this date, only four Member States — Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden — had submitted their plan.
• NGOs – Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN)say that the national greenhouse gas emission limits of EU countries are unlawful and have sued the European Commission. In a final written argument, the NGOs assert that the European executive sets unlawful annual emissions limits by 2030 for each EU country in the buildings, agriculture, waste, small industry, and transport’ sectors that cover about only 57 percent of the total EU‑27 greenhouse gas emissions. According to the NGOs, the legislation remains insufficient and lead the EU´s overall climate ambition off-track from the 1.5°C limit of the Paris Agreement. The court intends to prioritize the case.

Claire’s picks – Highlights from upcoming events and top reads

• Politico’s Max Giera dives into the speculation about who will get which job within the European Commission. Here’s his take on the hottest portfolios and who could get them. 
• Contexte’s Leila Lefevre reports on how environmentalists are adapting and questioning their strategies in a more fragmented and right-leaning Parliament.
• Euronews’ Jorge Liboreiro deciphers Ursula von der Leyen's political guideline which is to act as a roadmap for the next European Commission. One key point emerges: the Green Deal is turning into a Clean Industrial Deal.