Climate Commissioner hearing
Hedegaard convinces but will need Barroso support
Commenting after the European Parliament hearing of Connie Hedegaard, Danish Commissioner-designate for "Climate Action", Finnish Green MEP and environment committee member Satu Hassi said:
"Connie Hedegaard has shown that she has the political will and vision to be a strong first EU Climate Commissioner. The success of her mandate will however depend on whether President Barroso lends the political support to mainstream climate policy into other sectors, including transport and agriculture. Over the next five years Barroso must prove that he created this post to protect the climate, not as a PR stunt.
Hedegaard signalled good intentions to seek early revision of car CO2 emission legislation and to conduct an impact assessment on emission performance standards for power stations. A rare weak point was her failure to support binding energy efficiency standards, given that energy savings are the quickest and most cost-effective way to reduce emissions.
While she could have been more frank about failure in Copenhagen, I welcome her commitment to pursue a legally binding international climate agreement under the UN framework as we work towards Mexico in November this year."
