On Thursday 18 July Ursula von der Leyen was elected for a second term as head of the European Commission. In a speech earlier in the day, the 65-year-old politician presented a programme that focused on the war in Ukraine and climate change.
Ursula von der Leyen re-elected as EC president. She announced a “Clean Industrial Deal”
Von der Leyen's speech began after 9 o'clock. As the portal quotes Euractivthe EC president committed to achieving climate goals, including reducing emissions by 90 percent by 2040. Von der Leyen stressed that there should be no retreat from the transformation of the EU economy under the Green Deal in order to combat climate change.
Portal brusselssignal.eu emphasizes, however, that the program will be “softened and nuanced”. The President of the European Commission announced the “Clean Industrial Deal”, which she will propose in the first hundred days of her second term. The new program is to support industry in achieving the climate goals imposed by the European Union.
As quoted by brusselssignal.eu, von der Leyen “wants her Commission to be technology neutral, in particular mentioning e-fuels (i.e. synthetic, emission-neutral fuels coal – ed.), which somewhat opens the door to easing the upcoming EU ban on combustion engines.”
Ursula von der Leyen reiterates her announcement to ban the sale of combustion cars
At a press conference held after her second term was confirmed, von der Leyen declared that she would uphold the EU's decision to ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035.
According to the Fit for 55 strategy, the European Union has committed to reducing emissions gases greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030. From 2035, all new cars both passenger and delivery vehicles are to be zero-emission. – The goal will be maintained – she announced.