The EU is on the verge of appointing a passionate champion of emissions reductions to lead its climate and environmental agenda, even as critics say the plans will undermine the bloc’s competitiveness.
Spanish socialist Teresa Ribera is considered the favorite to become the next climate and environment commissioner after the Greens and Socialists in the European Parliament announced that they would support her for the post.
After supporting Ursula von der Leyen in her bid for a second term as EU Commission President, the two groups expect her in return to appoint an ambitious Green Commissioner.
All 27 Commissioners must undergo parliamentary hearings and the Assembly can put pressure on von der Leyen when making appointments.
Ribera, who currently serves as one of Spain’s deputy prime ministers and minister for the ecological transition, stresses that her record shows that economic growth and green measures can go hand in hand if you provide support to companies and households.
“An appropriate combination of social and green agendas is the best way to demonstrate that we can ensure long-term economic performance and sustainability and attract new investment and innovation,” she told the Financial Times.
Leading the green transition is crucial to ensure the EU can “seize the opportunities” and not simply follow others, she said. This means “a more honest and open dialogue with stakeholders” and a “bottom-up approach”.
Ribera is a longtime environmentalist who has advised the World Economic Forum and the UN on climate issues.
She argued that Brussels should have done more to gain support for green policies since the announcement of the Green Deal climate law in 2019. Farmers across Europe staged mass protests earlier this year after restrictions were imposed to protect the environment.
“We need to take people with us and go to local communities and stakeholders to understand their needs … and find out how we can improve,” she said.
The minister echoed von der Leyen’s sentiments, saying the next phase of EU climate plans will require a change in the way the bloc communicates its ambitions. “You have to be less ideological and more pragmatic, explaining why all costs will be higher in the future.”
Von der Leyen has promised to launch a “Clean Industrial Deal” in the first 100 days of her new term in office to better link green goals with industrial concerns.
Opinions are divided on Ribera. Allies say she is a perfectionist who demands a lot from herself and her team, but respects her opponents and does not boast about her victories.
“She is very knowledgeable… and I have great respect for her professionalism,” said Wopke Hoekstra, the current EU climate commissioner, who led the EU delegation to the UN climate conference COP28 with Ribera in December last year.
But a minister who worked with her during the EU energy crisis triggered by Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 said she was “too activist and too socialist”.
When Spain held the EU Council presidency in 2023, Ribera pushed through anti-pollution measures, including tougher action on packaging waste and lower vehicle emissions standards, but industry leaders said they would struggle to implement them.
Ribera has also clashed with industry opponents. In 2022, Ignacio Galán, chief executive of Spanish energy group Iberdrola, criticized a Spanish move to cut electricity prices by decoupling the cost of the country’s power from European wholesale gas prices, saying it was a mistake to shun common European solutions.
Ribera responded at the time that Galán “always defends the interests and profits of its shareholders.” Galán recently told the FT that in the 20 years he has known Ribera, she has “always shown full commitment to sustainability and the green agenda.”
A senior executive at a company that invests heavily in renewable energy said Spain had the right goals but the wrong measures in its national energy plan. Ribera said the right things but did not follow through, the executive said. Madrid needs to do more to integrate renewable energy into the grid and promote electric vehicles.
Ribera led the Spanish Socialist Party’s campaign in this year’s European Parliament elections and Spain is expected to confirm her nomination for the Commission post by August 30.
Eamon Ryan, Ireland’s climate minister, told the FT in June that she was in a “prime position” to replace Hoekstra.
The new Commissioner faces a huge task: he will have to oversee the implementation of more than 70 draft laws that have already been agreed by political decision-makers and that aim to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
The measures include a hotly contested ban on new combustion engines, due to come into force in 2035, and laws to reduce emissions in agriculture, which risk further protests from farmers.
Ribera defended her qualifications for the job, saying that under her leadership, Spain had so far managed the green transition with “reasonable success” by creating confidence for investment and job creation.
In addition to decoupling electricity prices from gas prices, it also announced high subsidies for green hydrogen and initiated measures to combat the drought that is hitting the country’s farmers hard.
“Of course we have difficulties. But we have managed to ensure access to water in every single (affected) town… and provide support to farmers (to invest in water desalination and efficiency),” she said.
Measured by the overall electricity mix, Spain is now one of the largest producers of wind and solar power in the Union.
But Ribera hinted at possible internal conflicts with the EU hawks on China: In order to achieve its climate targets, the Union would have to import cheap Chinese equipment – such as solar modules. She was also cautious about the impending EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
“It’s not clear to what extent (the tariffs) are effective,” she said. “We need to make sure we are competitive and provide a level playing field, but be careful of trade measures that could backfire.”
Their long-standing scepticism towards nuclear power could also prove problematic for their support among MPs from nuclear-friendly countries such as France and the Czech Republic.
If Ribera is appointed, many in Brussels would see this move as a sign that von der Leyen continues to pursue a strong Green Deal.
“(Ribera) is probably one of the most experienced and senior climate politicians in Europe,” Ryan said. “If we want to take the Green Deal seriously, why shouldn’t we put this person in charge?”
