Pawel Wargan is a member of the Coordinating Collective of the Democracy in Europe Movement (DiEM25), and campaign coordinator of the Green New Deal for Europe.
The COVID-19 crisis has shown that markets alone can’t meet our societies’ fundamental needs. But state measures to ward off economic collapse are just the start of a battle over the future — one where the principles of solidarity must be extended from health care to all aspects of society.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen claims to represent the “spirit of Greta,” yet corporate lobbyists have more influence over Europe’s Green Deal than ordinary citizens do. The green transition ought to be controlled by the social majority, so it serves all our needs — not just the businesses who hold sway in Brussels.
The European Union is so hostile to democracy that its new leadership is entirely made of people who have already been in power for years. It doesn’t matter if their policies ruined millions of lives — the only requirement was being on the side of the wealthy.
As climate protests sweep across Europe, neoliberals are misusing the name “Green New Deal” to push new kinds of market incentives.