Press Release: Henrike Hahn, MEP (The Greens/EFA) on the Commission's work program for 2023

Regarding the announcement of the European Commission's 2023 work program, Henrike Hahn, Member of the European Parliament (The Greens/EFA), deputy speaker and industrial policy speaker of the German delegation comments:

"The Commission's work program for 2023 largely sets the pace for EU policy and the implementation of the Green Deal for the coming year. In view of the climate crisis and the war in Europe, there has never been more at stake. The Commission today announced a number of important legislative initiatives that will be crucial to achieving our EU climate targets and strengthening Europe's economy. This includes the European Commission presenting reliable proposals for security of supply of critical raw materials in the first quarter of 2023. We cannot afford to slip from one dependency to the next, neither ecologically nor geopolitically. To do this, the Commission must place a special focus on functioning markets for recycled raw materials.

It will also be important to revise the design of the European electricity market so that the high fossil gas prices have less of an impact on electricity prices.

In the current economic situation in Europe, it is very important to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as best as possible. The necessary revision of the late payment directive is an important measure and is intended to make late payments to SMEs even more difficult and thereby prevent negative effects on their liquidity and cash flow.

The long-overdue reform of the Stability and Growth Pact is now scheduled for the first quarter of 2023 and we can now expect a legal proposal from the Commission that will allow for fundamental reforms. More financial leeway for the green transformation and the be created to combat climate change.

With regard to the revision of the multiannual financial framework (MFF), I am glad that the Commission has at least brought forward its proposal to the second quarter. Now it will be crucial that the Commission presents an ambiguous legal revision of the MFF. This is the only way we can ensure that the EU can respond effectively to the multitude of current challenges, including the climate crisis.

The digital euro is an important future project. We can now lay the legal basis for this as early as next year. In this context, it will be important for me that the European Central Bank can guarantee financial inclusion and data and legal security.

However, it is regrettable that the Commission will not present its revision of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation as promised in the first quarter of 2023. A necessary revision of this regulation must also take climate and environmental protection into account in addition to the competitiveness of companies.

However, how seriously the Commission takes the implementation of the Green Deal will only become apparent when the laws are actually formulated next year. It is clear that when implementing the Green Deal, we must set climate and environmental protection goals as ambitiously as possible in order to at least achieve the Paris climate goals."

 

I would be happy to answer any further questions.

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