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Five European environmental associations evaluated the voting behavior of national political parties and European parliamentary groups on environmental issues, concluding that left-wing MEPs are those who most defend the environment in the European Parliament.
Over the past five years, the European Parliament has had the power and the opportunity to lead the European Union (EU) towards a socially just and positive transition for climate and nature.
However, a new report reveals that only a minority of MEPs – those belonging to the Left-wing parliamentary group – acted to protect Europe’s climate, nature and air quality during the 2019-2024 mandate. The conclusion comes from the European Parliament Barometer, drawn up by five of Europe’s largest environmental organizations, which analyzed the performance of the different parties in the European Parliament on environmental issues.
BirdLife Europe, Climate Action Network Europe, the European Environmental Bureau, Transport & Environment and WWF’s European Policy Office analyzed each MEP’s individual vote on climate, nature and pollution legislation, and classified them based on three categories: prehistoric thinker, who failed to respond to the challenge of the different crises facing Europe; procrastinator, who delayed necessary action with irregular and inconsistent votes; and protector, who took a stand in favor of the urgent action on nature, pollution and climate that Europeans expect.
“Nature is collapsing and if we allow it to collapse, we will sink with it. Europe has proven that it can bring back species on the brink of extinction, clean up rivers and protect precious habitats. Opinion polls consistently show that Europeans care about nature and want to see it restored, alongside the fight against the climate crisis, but whether that happens or not depends on the people they choose to represent them in the European Parliament,” says Ariel Brunner, director of BirdLife Europe.
The analysis was made in relation to the voting recommendations of the five organizations on 30 political dossiers of great relevance to the environment, divided into climate neutral and socially just transition, positivity for nature and zero pollution and circular economy.
With this assessment, it is possible to know the commitment to environmental sustainability of each MEP and the political group they belong to. For each political dossier, MEPs and parties received a score between 0 (no alignment) and 100 (full alignment), based on a comparison of their voting record with the positions and voting recommendations of the editorial organizations, says the report.
How did the parties vote?
At EU level, the groups classified as protective are The Greens/European Free Alliance (92 points), the Left (84 points) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (70 points). The “prehistoric” parties include the European People’s Party (25 points), the European Conservatives and Reformists (10/100) and the Identity and Democracy Group (6 points). The Renew Europe parliamentary group, on the other hand, was classified as a procrastinator, with 56 points.
In the case of Portuguese MEPs, the data shows that the parties that can be classified as protective are the Left Bloc – BE (91 points) and the Socialist Party – PS (79 points). Among the procrastinators we have the Portuguese Communist Party – PCP (67 points), while the Social Democratic Party – PSD (27 points) and the Social Democratic Center-People’s Party – CDS-PP (20 points) are classified as prehistoric thinkers.
Francisco Guerreiro, who was elected by the PAN but has since become an independent, is the only Portuguese representative in The Greens/EFA Group and the Portuguese MEP who stands out the most when it comes to defending environmental policies, with an overall score of 99 points. However, the coordinators of the initiative decided to present information only on parties and not on independent MEPs, so their vote was only taken into account for the result of the European group and not for the national analysis.
“A brief analysis shows that, among the Portuguese parties that fall into the category of protectors, the BE and PS are above the average for their political group in the EU. The PCP appears below the average of its political group, obtaining only the classification of procrastinator and thus standing out from its group, which in the European average is classified as protector. Among the prehistoric thinkers, the PSD is within the average of its group (slightly above) and the CDS-PP is below,” reads the ZERO website, which made the Barometer available in Portuguese.
“It is important to note that there is diversity and nuance in EU political groups and national parties – with the exception of the far right. Climate advocates can therefore be found across the political spectrum. In addition to the high scores of progressive parties and groups, within the liberal and conservative political families, scores vary, with some records much stronger and others more disappointing,” reads the report.
“The time has come for European citizens to wake up to the real possibility of a European Parliament full of prehistoric thinkers – to take to the streets and vote for parties that can provide the climate protectors we so desperately need to improve and strengthen the European Green Deal,” warns Chiara Martinelli, director of Climate Action Network Europe.
William Todts, executive director of Transport & Environment, also reinforces the EU’s role as a “force for good when it comes to climate action. From clean cars to carbon taxes for planes and ships, the EU has done what national governments were unable or unwilling to do. In many European countries, environmental protection would be greatly reduced without the EU (…). The June elections will determine who will run Europe until 2029. We cannot take progress for granted.”
The European Parliament Barometer is available in Portuguese on the websites of SPEA and ZERO, two of the Portuguese organizations involved in this campaign. The results can be consulted by EU political group, political party in each country and legislative dossier.
She might have chosen to study Meteorology and Oceanography, but ultimately pursued Communication. And that's fine because if they don't get their weather predictions right, she wouldn't be the one to change that. She started by looking for sustainable ideas and projects for the university, and since then, she has never stopped (who stops, really?). She loves to watch tv shows, but she watches few because she is demanding. You don't need much to convince her to embrace new, "greener" habits and challenges.
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