European Green Deal

[1][2] The plan is to review each existing law on its climate merits, and also introduce new legislation on the circular economy (CE), building renovation, biodiversity, farming and innovation.

[5] The European Commission's climate change strategy, launched in 2020, is focused on a promise to make Europe a net-zero emitter of greenhouse gases by 2050 and to demonstrate that economies will develop without increasing resource usage.

Through partnerships with industry and member States, it will support research and innovation on transport technologies, including batteries, clean hydrogen, low-carbon steel making, circular bio-based sectors and the built environment.

[22][23] In July 2021, the European Commission released its “Fit for 55” legislation package, which contains important guidelines for the future of the automotive industry: All new cars sold in the EU must be zero-emission vehicles from 2035.

The European Green Deal and accompanying government policies have driven substantial investment in greentech, particularly in areas like energy storage, circular economy initiatives, and agricultural technology.

This further entails the “decarbonisation and modernisation of energy-intensive industries such as steel and cement.”[36] A ‘Sustainable products’ policy is also projected to be introduced which will focus on reducing the wastage of materials.

[29] The materials particularly focused on include “textiles, construction, vehicles, batteries, electronics and plastics.”[37] The European Union is also of the opinion that it "should stop exporting its waste outside of the EU" and it will therefore "revisit the rules on waste shipments and illegal exports"[38][39] The EU mentioned that "the Commission will also propose to revise the rules on end-of-life vehicles with a view to promoting more circular business models.

[46] In the official page of the program From Farm to Fork is cited Frans Timmermans the Executive Vice-president of the European Commission, saying that: "The coronavirus crisis has shown how vulnerable we all are, and how important it is to restore the balance between human activity and nature.

[52] The ‘Single European Sky’ plan focuses on air traffic management in order to increase safety, flight efficiency and environmentally friendly conditions.

[54] The official page of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 cites Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, saying that: "Making nature healthy again is key to our physical and mental wellbeing and is an ally in the fight against climate change and disease outbreaks.

The law is a core element of the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy and makes the targets set therein for the "restoration of nature" binding.

The reasons pushing for the plan's creation are based upon the environmental issues such as climate change, a loss of biodiversity, ozone depletion, water pollution, urban stress, waste production and more.

The following statistics highlight the climate related issues within the European Union: Global carbon dioxide emissions by country in 2023: All 54 actions were adopted or implemented by 2019.

[81] However, as recovery processes have begun within the European Union, a large majority of ministers are supporting the push for the deal to begin, alongside the subsiding of the first wave of infections.

[83][84][85] Ten countries urged the European Union to adopt the “green recovery plan" as fears grew that the economic hit caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could weaken action on climate change.

This policy means that countries that have more workers in coal and oil shale sectors, as well as those with higher greenhouse emissions, will receive more financial aid.

The principles refer to focusing financing on the transition to net zero carbon economies, while keeping socioeconomic effects in mind, along with policy engagement and plans for inclusion and gender equality, all aiming to deliver long-term economic transformation.

[107] Greta Thunberg commented on governments opposing the deal, saying "It seems to have turned into some kind of opportunity for countries to negotiate loopholes and to avoid raising their ambition".

[125] In July 2023, European People's Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber tried to block the Nature Restoration Law, saying it would destroy farmers' livelihoods and threaten food security.

[130][131][132][133][134][135] Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blamed a record-breaking surge in energy prices on the European Commission's Green Deal plans.

[129] European farmers have protested against proposed environmental regulations (such as a carbon tax, pesticide bans, nitrogen emissions curbs and restrictions on water and land usage), low food prices and trade in agricultural products with non-European Union member states, such as Ukraine and the Mercosur bloc of South America.

"[147] In August 2023, the Polish government filed a series of complaints with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against provisions that are part of the Fit for 55 package, claiming that three EU climate policies threaten Poland's economy and energy security.

[150] Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the EU ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 that would "condemn [Europe] to new strategic dependencies, such as China's electric [vehicles]."

[159] By launching a call for proposals, acceleration services and financial contribution started to be provided to some projects under European Union funding programs, such as Horizon Europe or LIFE programme, but also international organisations.

[160] In the idea of a collective design dynamic, a "High-level roundtable" has been set up with 18 thinkers and practitioners, involving for example famous architects Shigeru Ban and Bjark Ingels, the President of the Italian National Innovation Fund Francesca Bria, the activist and academic Sheela Patel, and others.

These projects were selected as flagship proposals for the NEB's announced goal: "a sustainable green transformation in housing, architecture, transportation, urban, and rural spaces as part of its effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2050".

[165] The four thematic axes chosen to guide the NEB's implementation for the next years are "Reconnecting with nature", "Regaining a sense of belonging", "Prioritising the places and people that need it most", and "Fostering long term, life cycle thinking in the industrial ecosystem".

[168][169] Within the three-phases development, this last step should be about networking and sharing knowledge between practitioners on available methods, solutions and prototypes, but also, it is meant to help creators to replicate their experiences across cities, rural areas and localities and to influence the new generation of architects and designers.

The NEB LAB's main objective is to put the movement's thinking into practice, by co-creating and testing solutions and policy actions, like the development of labeling tools.

It will stand on three pillars: Fair (presentation of completed projects or products), Fest (the cultural section, with artists and performance) and Forum (debates with innovative participatory formats).