During his questioning, Šefčovič reminded MEPs that the European Green Deal is inspired by the demands of European citizens, especially the younger generations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Slovak Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič on Thursday on the expansion of his responsibilities in the EU executive after members of the European Parliament (EP) supported his appointment as Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and taking responsibility for the European Green Deal. This is reported by the TASR correspondent.
Von der Leyen, who is attending the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Granada, Spain, praised Šefčovič on the social network X (formerly Twitter) for going through the hearing and approval process in the European Parliament.
“I congratulate Maroš Šefčovič on his confirmation by the European Parliament as Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal. I am counting on his experience and commitment in this crucial phase of implementation and to bring our legislation, which sets the tone for the whole world, to its final stage.” Von der Leyen said.
Šefčovič indicated his willingness to see the Green Deal agenda through to the end even after Tuesday’s hearing in the EP Environment Committee, declaring that “Europe’s green transformation has already taken root and it is time to allow it to flourish.”
“We must meet this transformational challenge, it must be a fair and just transition that leaves no one behind,” he said.
During his questioning, Šefčovič reminded MEPs that the European Green Deal is inspired by the demands of European citizens, especially the younger generations. He specified that over the past four years, a lot of work has been done in the EU to make the Green Deal a reality, and a large part of the legislative basis has been implemented and up to 90 percent of Von der Leyen’s political guidelines have been fulfilled.
“But our work is far from done. We now need to ensure continuity and take the Green Deal to the next level, with the ambition needed to accelerate its concrete implementation.” Šefčovič declared during his questioning, emphasizing that the green transition is a “multi-generational task” that requires efforts not only now, but also in the coming decades. Given climate change and biodiversity loss, there is no Plan B, which, he said, the vast majority of Europeans understand well.
Šefčovič has so far been in charge of the agenda of interinstitutional relations and strategic outlook in the European Commission. Since January of that year, he has been responsible for the platform for joint gas purchases. On the political level, he is leading negotiations with London on post-Brexit relations with the EU, negotiating with Switzerland on a new agreement with Brussels, and also leading association negotiations with small Western European states that are not EU members.
Source: TASR, reporter Jaromír Novak
