A group of MEPs calls on Brussels to remove the green label for gas

A group of 102 Members of the European Parliament has called on the European Commission to withdraw its proposal to include natural gas in the EU taxonomy for green finance, emphasizing that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made this proposal questionable.

Last week, the European Commission presented plans to reduce the EU’s dependence on Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of 2022, as part of efforts to become independent from all Russian fossil fuels 'well before 2030'.

These plans contradict the Commission’s proposals to label gas as a green transitional fuel under the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy, say the MEPs, who mostly belong to the left political spectrum, according to Euractiv.

– We welcome your plan to make Europe independent of Russian fossil fuels – the MEPs write in a letter addressed to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner McGuinness, responsible for financial services.

However, they also state that this is in sharp contrast to the EC’s Taxonomy Regulation presented before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and they call on the Commission to withdraw the latest plan.

The Commission presented its proposal on February 2, stating that gas power plants could be considered green if they contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent over their lifetime and are designed to switch to 100 percent renewable or low-carbon fuels by the end of 2035.

However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed the EU’s priorities, say the MEPs.

– Our dependence on Russian gas finances Putin’s war and enables attacks on the Ukrainian people – the letter states, adding that Europe should abandon fossil fuels and avoid increasing their use through the construction of new gas plants.

The Commission’s proposal aims at 'the exact opposite', say the signatories of the letter.

Others, however, disagree, stating that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed the situation.

The letter was signed by 102 MEPs from five major political groups in the European Parliament, but the vast majority of them are from left-wing parties, and only a handful of signatories come from the EPP, which is not enough to reject the Commission’s proposal.

In a plenary vote, the European Parliament can reject the proposal by a simple majority – that is, by the votes of at least 353 MEPs in the European Parliament. However, according to a well-informed source this does not change the situation in Parliament where left-oriented parties have long expressed their opposition to including gas in the taxonomy.

– A real change would occur if the EPP changed its stance and objected to the taxonomy proposal – the source told Euractiv. 

The European Commission included natural gas and nuclear energy on the list of environmentally sustainable investments at the beginning of February, although 'under certain conditions'. The Commission presented this through a supplementary delegated act on the so-called 'taxonomy of climate-friendly activities'.

The taxonomy is a classification system for activities to direct investments towards environmentally sustainable economic activities to accelerate decarbonization.

Numerous MEPs in the European Parliament have opposed labeling gas and nuclear energy as green, emphasizing that this decision seriously undermines the Green Deal in favor of large private investments.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has also criticized the European Commission for this move, calling on the European Parliament and the Council to reject this act.