(Le Figaro, Christophe Gomart, April 2, 2026)
The clear shift in priorities in Brussels is good news: while the Green Deal was the mantra of the previous legislature (2019-2024), the multiplication of global conflicts and the aggressive return of American protectionism have placed defense and competitiveness at the top of the European Commission’s agenda, showing that the goal of zero emissions by 2050 cannot be pursued without first guaranteeing peace and preserving the continent’s economic growth.
The Ukrainian conflict has already produced CO₂ emissions equivalent to those generated annually by 120 million internal combustion engine cars (about 230 million tons), while the Draghi report on competitiveness has sounded an alarm: Europe, by unilaterally imposing excessively strict environmental standards, only strengthens its competitors and risks dangerous deindustrialization.
Environmental action should not be abandoned, but must be radically rethought in its operational approach, currently focused on reporting obligations and economic sanctions, to adapt to harsh geopolitical realities: between the end of the month, the end of peace, and the end of the world, the Union must not choose, but rather create concrete synergies in three fundamental areas.
Shift in priorities in Brussels
“The change in Brussels is clear and it is good news. While the ‘Green Deal’ was the watchword of the previous legislature (2019-2024), the multiplication of global conflicts and the great return of American protectionism have pushed defense and competitiveness to the top priorities of the European Commission.”
Impossible to decarbonize without peace and growth
“Since 2022 a harsh reality seems to have reminded Europeans: the ‘zero emissions’ goal by 2050 cannot be achieved without guaranteeing peace and saving growth. […] The example of the Ukrainian front shows us that all the Union’s efforts to make its economy greener will not weigh much in the event of a generalized armed conflict.”
Need for a new approach
“Should environmental action therefore be forgotten? Obviously not. But its mode of operation, currently focused on reporting and economic sanctions, must be entirely rethought in light of geopolitical realities. […] Ecology must therefore be inscribed in a logic of power and realism. For this reason, it must stop being a dogma and become a strategic lever serving the prosperity and security of the continent.”
Strategic recognition of nuclear power
“It took two wars, and the premises of a new global oil shock with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, for the Commission to finally recognize its misjudgment on the nuclear issue, today the only local energy, low in carbon emissions, controllable, and with a real growth potential available in Europe.”
European preference and industrial sovereignty
“In the economic field, environmental action can be a powerful argument to promote local design, production, and consumption through the introduction of a European preference in public procurement (16% of the community GDP). […] How can we support a real climate ambition if we continue to implicitly support every day, with our purchases, the greatest polluters on the planet?”
(Excerpt from the newsletter by Giuseppe Liturri)
