"European agreements are not just a piece of paper. The Prime Minister is putting himself in the camp of the climate procrastinators."
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has sparked controversy after coming out in favour of putting the European green legislation "on pause." His unexpected position has brought him under heavy fire from his own government. The premier's statement aligns him with Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir, who called for a "reality check" or even a "pause" on new climate plans on Tuesday. In apparent agreement, De Croo stated that Belgium should hold back from implementing the EU nature plans as they supposedly threaten to destroy the Belgian industry. Speaking on VRT's 'Terzake' television programme on Tuesday evening, De Croo said that "At some point, we have to make a choice," and went on to criticise the future European Nature Restoration Act, a law to ensure that 20% of nature is restored by 2030. Not to be cast as a complete climate denier, De Croo did show his favour for EU environmental targets: "The reduction of greenhouse gases, that is achievable: you feel there is a momentum there." However, he was reluctant to embark on any further efforts to protect biodiversity: "We have to avoid overloading the cart. Setting new standards on nitrogen, nature restoration, biodiversity or (chemical) products in addition to the targets on CO2... All of that is really starting to overload that cart."
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There speaks a man with absolutely no idea of the interconnectedness of the natural world, our biosphere. He literally doesn't realise how close to the edge we are. Sadly, he's not the only leader like that. Nice to see his own government take him to task.
