The centre-right EPP (European People’s Party) group presented its manifesto for the EU elections on 30 January. The party’s leader, Belgian MEP Wilfried Martens, has said that greening the economy would be one of two main focuses of his group’s campaign along with job creation.

The statement calls for the creation of ‘new, sustainable jobs’ and stresses the need to ‘increase our investments in 'green technologies' and reduce Europe's dependence on fossil fuels’. The manifesto goes on to explain why greening the economy would be desirable.

Firstly, it would boost economic growth and the job sector more specifically, and would secondly also put the EU at the forefront of new innovative sectors. Most obviously it would also contribute towards the fight against climate change, which Mr Martens has stressed is another key priority of the Party’s next term.

The paper reiterates a commitment to the 20% target share of renewables by 2020, whilst it also urges the emissions trading scheme (ETS) to be updated to ensure there is market-based incentivisation for emissions reductions.