{"id":418061,"date":"2025-02-05T18:52:18","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T17:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/2025\/02\/05\/timmermans-sinistra-verdi-green-deal-ppe\/"},"modified":"2025-02-05T20:09:01","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:09:01","slug":"frans-timmermans-call-for-unity-among-european-progressives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/2025\/02\/05\/frans-timmermans-call-for-unity-among-european-progressives\/","title":{"rendered":"Frans Timmermans’ call for unity among European progressives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels – A united progressive front<\/strong>, holding together social democrats and environmentalists. This is the recipe of former European Commission executive vice-president Frans Timmermans<\/strong> to bring the centre-left back to a position of “relevance,” capable of influencing policies not only at the national level but across the entire continent and stopping the rise of the far right<\/strong>.\u00a0Starting with the\u00a0defence of the Green Deal<\/strong>, which he himself dealt with in his Berlaymont days and which must be\u00a0the basis of EU industrial policy<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0However, the Popular allies seem to have more than a few second thoughts.<\/p>\n

A European “wide field”?<\/h3>\n

That social democracy is not doing well in Europe is hardly news. But no one seems to have ready a solution to reverse the trend. With the exception, perhaps, of\u00a0Frans Timmermans<\/strong>. The former number two to Ursula von der Leyen<\/strong> between 2019 and 2023 suggested this morning (Feb. 5) during a press point at the Europarliament in Brussels that “consolidating progressive left-wing forces is necessary to have more weight and volume<\/strong>,” a prerequisite for “advancing our political battles”<\/strong> in the member states and throughout the Union.<\/p>\n

The model to be inspired by is one he himself is testing in the Netherlands<\/strong>\u2014where in November 2023, he led an electoral alliance between Socialists and Greens<\/strong> called the GroenLinks-PvdA<\/i> (Gl\/PvdA)<\/strong>, coming second behind the populist radical right wing of Partij voor de Vrijheid<\/i> (PVV)<\/strong> of Geert Wilders<\/strong>\u2014and which\u00a0he\u00a0would<\/a><\/span>\u00a0now like to become<\/a>\u00a0a single party.<\/p>\n

It is clear that\u00a0<\/span>not all countries have the ideal conditions<\/strong>\u00a0to achieve immediate results in this regard, and the former vice president also knows this.<\/span>\u00a0“There is certainly not a one-size-fits-all solution in every state:\u00a0in some states, the Greens grew out of social democratic movements, but in other countries, they have a different history<\/strong>,” he conceded.<\/span>\u00a0One need only think of France, where a similar attempt to bring together the varied souls of the left in the Nouveau front populaire<\/i> (NFP)<\/strong> seems to be creaking dangerously, having run out of the urgency that had brought it into being last summer as an electoral cartel.<\/p>\n

\"Nfp<\/a>
Jean-Luc M\u00e9lenchon, leader of the radical left-wing party La France insoumise (LFI), the strongest within the Nouveau front populaire (NFP) in terms of elected members in the National Assembly, speaks from the podium of a rally during the June 2022 election campaign (photo: Dimitar Dilkoff\/Afp)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Or to the less-than-flattering results of the infamous “wide field<\/strong>” in Italy, which still has not managed to overcome the albeit legitimate differences between its components. Another difference with the Italian case is that, unlike the\u00a0Green-Left Alliance (AVS)<\/strong>, the Dutch Gl\/PvdA, which the former commissioner took as a model, includes social democratic forces in addition to ecologists,\u00a0not those of the radical left<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Timmermans reiterated, “If we want to be strong on the left, we need to be more united<\/strong>.”\u00a0But that’s not enough: “We also have to\u00a0make a proposal to the centre that will attract other parties<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0form coalitions<\/strong>\u00a0with us.”<\/span>\u00a0“Our relevance” within a democratic and parliamentary framework also derives from our proposals and our willingness to cooperate<\/strong> with other democratic parties to realise change<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

In short, it is time to “look at what we have in common and overcome our differences” with the goal of “reinventing a basic idea of justice and solidarity<\/strong> in our society,” he stressed, citing as an example the founding in 2007 of our own Democratic Party (PD)<\/strong> which, after the ulivist season, was born with the promise of reuniting in a single political entity the different currents of progressivism<\/strong> at the time.<\/p>\n

Right turn<\/h3>\n

\n

Whether it succeeds or not, however, it appears to be a manoeuvre that, rather than proactive, appears essentially reactive.\u00a0And what sets it in motion is the\u00a0political disruption taking place across the Old Continent<\/strong>: “If\u00a0the centre-right starts imitating the radical right<\/strong>, the radical right wins, and\u00a0the centre-right loses<\/strong>,” Timmermans certifies.<\/span>\u00a0At that point, he adds, “The centre-right that loses and is drawn into the sphere of the radical right abandons the centre, which\u00a0<\/span>makes it much more difficult for other centre-left or centre-right parties to form coalitions<\/strong>\u00a0that can carry our countries and our Europe into the future.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Weidel<\/a>
The co-chairs of Alternative f\u00fcr Deutschland, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla (photo: Tobias Schwarz\/Afp)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is precisely what is occurring<\/a> in Germany, where the competition between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU\/CSU)<\/strong> of Friedrich Merz<\/strong> with the ultra-right post-Nazis of Alternative f\u00fcr Deutschland<\/i> (AfD)<\/strong> led by Alice Weidel<\/strong> and Tino Chrupalla<\/strong> is leading the party that was formerly Angela Merkel<\/strong>‘s\u2014the chancellor of the “Wir schaffen das<\/i><\/strong>“, the “we can do it” with which she opened the doors to over a million Syrian refugees\u2014to shift to increasingly radical<\/strong> positions on security and immigration control<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“I thought the German centre-right had learned” not to cooperate with the far-righ# is the bitter comment of Timmermans, who branded as a “tragic mistake<\/strong>” the (failed) attempt by the likely new\u00a0Bundeskanzler<\/em>\u00a0Merz to\u00a0play hand-in-hand with the AfD<\/strong>, breaking\u00a0the octogenarian tradition<\/a>\u00a0of the “cordon sanitaire<\/strong>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Green deal and industrial policy<\/h3>\n

But Timmermans was, above all,\u00a0<\/span>responsible for the Green deal during his tenure at the European Commission<\/span><\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0That “Green Deal” that, he recalled, “represents our industrial policy<\/strong>,” whatever name he wants to give it in the von der Leyen bis. Provided, of course, that “we maintain the policy lines<\/strong> agreed upon” in the previous legislature without attacking its regulatory framework<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Pity that this is what the European People’s Party<\/strong> has been doing for several months now, both in Strasbourg (where they have already launched the attack<\/a> on some key green legislation measures) and in Brussels, where,\u00a0under the guise of competitiveness<\/a>, a simplification phase<\/strong> that smacks very much of “deregulation” is being initiated. The statements of one of the heavyweights in the EPP, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk<\/strong>, that “the revolt against regulation is inevitable<\/strong>” leave little doubt in this regard.<\/p>\n

\n

The revolt against regulation is inevitable! Whether someone in the EU likes it or not. The time is now!<\/p>\n

– Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) February 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But Timmermans deplores this politicisation: “The Green Deal was neither left-wing nor right-wing; it was the right thing<\/strong>,” he noted, recalling that in the last legislature, the EPP had not only made it possible but “often claimed it as its own project<\/strong>,” while now “it has allowed itself to be tempted by the radical right” by turning it into the terrain of a fierce ideological battle<\/strong>. The Old Continent, says the Dutch politician, needs “lower energy prices<\/strong>” to become competitive again and “recreate a platform for European industry<\/strong> of the future.” And the only way to achieve this is to “accelerate the transition to renewable energy<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

As for the deep<\/strong>\u00a0crisis in the automotive sector<\/strong>, the underlying problem is that “Europe’s automotive industry<\/strong>, particularly the large German manufacturers, thought that the combustion engine had an infinite future<\/strong>” and, therefore, lagged far<\/strong>\u00a0behind global rivals<\/strong>, especially China, where “electric cars<\/strong> were not only becoming mass-produced<\/strong>\u00a0but were also becoming\u00a0cheaper and cheaper<\/strong>.” So, he argued, it is anachronistic to imagine postponing the stop to the endothermic engine<\/strong> (currently scheduled for 2035), as the right-wingers are demanding, because we need to aim “toward zero-emission vehicles.”<\/p>\n

Funding for NGOs<\/h3>\n

Finally, the former commissioner responded to a question about the (essentially media) case mounted by the EPP about alleged opaque funding of environmental NGOs by the EU executive<\/strong>, which, according to the allegations\u2014for\u00a0now\u00a0without<\/a><\/span>\u00a0any factual basis<\/a>\u2014were made by him in contravention of the rules governing lobbying activities in Brussels<\/strong> and undermining the independence of the Commission<\/strong>, which allegedly acted as a political actor to influence the legislative process upstream.<\/p>\n

\"Frans<\/a>
Former Executive Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of the Green Deal Frans Timmermans (photo: Frederic Marvaux\/European Parliament)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“I always worked well with\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/strong>Green10<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0group,” he said, referring to the coalition of ten of the largest\u00a0<\/span>environmental organizations and networks<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>active at the European level<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0“They would come to my office, express their opinions, and most of the time they would criticize me heavily” because they claimed that the Commission’s ambition “was not enough”<\/strong>. But “that’s their job, that’s what NGOs do,” Timmermans continued.<\/p>\n

If anything, he added,\u00a0<\/span>the Life<\/strong>\u00a0program (from which EU funding for NGOs comes) “was the responsibility of another commissioner” who came right from the EPP, the Austrian\u00a0<\/span>Johannes Hahn<\/strong>, who in the first von der Leyen College was in charge of the\u00a0<\/span>budgetary portfoli<\/strong>o<\/strong><\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Therefore, Timmermans concluded, “I have never had any influence on NGO funding<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to the former commissioner, the only way to counter the Christian Democrats’ slide toward the far right is to create a kind of “wide field” at the EU level. On the Green Deal, the only basis for an EU industrial policy, he stops the Populars: “Let’s keep the agreed standards.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7876,"featured_media":279052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":""},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25681],"tags":[26643,26749,25905,27785,29678,29451,26680],"class_list":["post-418061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-party-popular-european-en","tag-frans-timmermans-en","tag-green-deal-en","tag-ong-en","tag-socialist-en","tag-socialisti-en","tag-value-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7876"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418061"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":418068,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418061\/revisions\/418068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}