15-07-2025
I don't regret backing von der Leyen, says Greens chief Eickhout
Strasbourg, FRANCE – Euractiv caught up with Bas Eickhout, a Dutch MEP who leads the Greens in the European Parliament.
In his office looking out onto Strasbourg's cathedral, Eickhout defended the Greens' decision to support Ursula von der Leyen's new European Commission in 2024, and again in last week's motion of censure, pointing to green-tinged upcoming laws.
But he said the EU's push to simplify its legislation is going too far under pressure from corporate lobbyists and von der Leyen's centre-right political family in the Parliament, the EPP, led by Manfred Weber.
The 53-strong group he jointly leads with MEP Terry Reinkte is far smaller than it was before last year's European election. So instead of threatening to topple the Commission, Eickhout is appealing to von der Leyen to put the brakes on Weber.
What follows is an edited transcript.
Euractiv: It's a tough time for the Greens. The far-right Patriots are taking the lead on the 2040 climate target, and a massive simplification agenda is upending much of the European Green Deal. Do you regret backing this Commission last year?
Eickhout: I don't regret it, but things need to change. I still stand by the choice because I still see a program where we also have elements where we can work on climate adaptation, industrial policy, and oceans. We still expect the Commission to deliver on that. What annoys me is that it comes so late. For example, the Circular Economy Act is planned for the end of 2026. Where is the urgency that we see on defence? Why is that not on industrial spending? That is a political choice I'm criticising.
But anyone could have told you in July 2024 that the EPP would be dominant in the Parliament, where they are the largest group, and in the Commission, where they have the most commissioners. Weren't you naive to support this Commission?
It's logical that there would be an EPP agenda and we are ready to adapt to shifts in the Parliament. But it's now about how this simplification agenda is being done. The first proposal on Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), to be very honest, has nothing to do with simplification. It's creating chaos for companies; they don't know what they have to do. This is stupid simplification. On CSDDD it's just killing a law, it's deregulation.
So, call me naive that I trust von der Leyen when she says we do simplification, not deregulation. She underestimated a bit the beast that she has woken with the simplification, because every nasty lobby is now jumping on it. What I hear now already is that the pharmaceutical lobby is lobbying to change the urban wastewater directive, to avoid the polluter pays principle. This is exactly an example where the omnibus is stupid.
Are you soft-pedalling a bit on von der Leyen, though? After all, most of your focus tends to be on Weber, not her.
I don't think there's a very good relation between her and Weber, and what she is underestimating – and I can even understand that, because there are bigger issues to solve in the world – is that what Weber is doing is also hurting her. It's important that she clearly shows that she's not EPP Weber. And this is, of course, something that she's not eager to do because in her way of communicating, she always tries to stay neutral in everything.
Weber's choice is, 'Do you want to work with the pro Europeans or do you keep on doing what you're doing now?' And that's just strengthening the far right, and it's strengthening chaos, and in the end, it will kill you. But I'm also warning the Commission, this mounting pressure on you will be harder and harder to push back on.
Your Dutch Green Party will soon fully merge with Frans Timmermans' Socialist Party, and you are fighting the upcoming October national election together. Does that mean your MEPs will all move to the Socialists group or the Greens in the European Parliament? And would you go back to join the government if you win?
What we try to do here is stay in both groups. As for me, I really like the European arena, more than the Dutch arena. It's more long-term focused. I like to play chess on a three-dimensional chessboard. If Timmermans calls, we'll have a talk.
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