Posted on May, 27 2019

Brussels, 27 May 2019 - Following the European elections, the 751 representatives in the next European Parliament now have the decisive responsibility to turn the tide and lead Europe towards a safer, prosperous and responsible future.
 
Ester Asin, Director at WWF’s European Policy Office, reacting to the results said: “Heeding the calls from citizens across Europe, a majority of EU leaders have committed during the campaign to step up action on climate and environment. The election results now show that collaboration is needed from across the political spectrum, and every MEP must do their bit. WWF is calling for political parties and leaders to rally behind a European sustainability pact as soon as possible to protect what is vital to us all. Any agreement on the next Commission President must be conditional upon a strong and concrete agenda prioritising the fight against climate change and nature loss in the next five years.”  
 
WWF has been calling for a European sustainability pact [1] to be agreed by European leaders in the wake of the EU elections, consisting of a comprehensive set of goals and actions to be taken in the next five years on climate change, nature protection and sustainable development. This includes, amongst others, actions to fully protect and restore nature in Europe by 2030 and make the EU climate neutral by 2040. A recent report by WWF [2] demonstrated that if everyone lived like Europeans, we would need 2.8 planets to satiate our demand on nature.
 
“WWF engaged with political parties and candidates from across the political spectrum ahead of the elections. In our video interviews, lead candidates from the European parties have all shared strong commitments to tackle climate change and restore nature. They must now live up to these promises, and we will hold them to account for their actions,” concluded Ester Asin.
 
Member States will meet on 28 May in order to reflect on the results of the elections and how these will impact the nomination of the next President of the European Commission and the adoption of the Strategic Agenda 2019-2024. These discussions are set to conclude at the European Council meeting on 20-21 June, along with a much awaited decision by the EU as to when to reach climate neutrality.
 
Notes to the editors:
 
[1] WWF Call to Action – A European Sustainability Pact for a safer, more competitive and responsible EU, October 2018
 
[2] EU Overshoot Day - Living beyond nature’s limits - 10 May 2019
 
[3] Eurobarometer 89.2 (2018). Democracy on the move - European Elections - One year to go survey carried out in all 28 Member States of the European Union, from 11 until 22 April 2018, p.39.
 

Media contact
Catherine Joppart, Communications Officer, WWF European Policy Office
cjoppart@wwf.eu   
+32 491 64 37 35