Felix Banaszak, the leader of the Green Party, has sharply criticized the appearance of CDU’s chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, at the European Conservatives (EVP) meeting in Berlin.
According to Banaszak, who spoke to the “Rheinische Post” online on Sunday, Merz’s speech at the meeting inscribed a general attack on the European Green Deal, effectively rejecting a future-oriented European economy. The Green Party leader claimed that under the guise of “antibureaucracy” Merz and his conservative colleagues aim to roll back the Green Deal, whether in regards to emission-free cars or the goals for renewable energy. “This sends fatal signals to the economy and offers no long-term planning security to our industry. I had expected more economic competence from the CDU/CSU’s chancellor candidate” Banaszak lamented.
The Green Party leader emphasized that his party will maintain its course on the Green Deal, which he considers the heart of a smart economic policy and the strongest tool for climate protection and competitiveness in Europe. “We can always discuss sensible simplification, but bureaucracy reduction must not be a pretext to delay climate goals and undermine the decisions that have already been made” he explained.
The EVP’s agenda, which was discussed at the meeting, includes technology openness in the mobility and energy sectors. EVP Chief Manfred Weber had already announced on Friday that the EVP, with a “civil majority” intends to block the phase-out of fossil-fueled cars until 2035.