"The next Commission needs to maintain the momentum towards a low emission economy," Barroso said in a letter to MEPs last week.
In particular, he said more efforts were needed "towards decarbonising our electricity supply and the transport sector – all transport, including maritime transport and aviation, as well as the development of clean and electric cars".
Barroso's 'homework' prepared over the summer recess was sent to the political groups on Thursday (3 September) to win the backing of the Socialists, Liberals and Greens for a second term at the head of the European Commission (EurActiv 03/09/09).
The Portuguese hopes the green dimension of his pitch will appeal to those Parliament members who last year pushed for stricter legislation to curb CO2 emissions from the power, automotive and industrial sectors.
Barroso stated that one of the next Commission's challenges will be to retain European leadership in fighting climate change by implementing its vision and commitments in the framework of a new climate treaty, set to be agreed in Copenhagen in December. This includes both binding emissions reduction targets and a "clear commitment to climate finance for developing countries," he said.
Moreover, the former Portuguese prime minister pledged to launch "a major initiative" to assess each Community policy in light of climate change, making the changes necessary to help the EU to slash emissions and adapt to climate change.
"Europe stands to benefit enormously from investing in new low-carbon technologies for future jobs and growth. Fighting climate change and the move towards a low-carbon economy provides huge opportunities and will enhance our energy security," he stated.
In the context of the current recession, the Commission should concentrate on designing a favourable regulatory environment to foster the uptake of low-carbon technologies by European businesses, particularly SMEs, Barroso said. A modernised industrial base using environmentally-friendly technologies and benefiting from energy-efficiency improvements would give the EU first-mover advantages and provide more jobs, he argued.
Barroso identified a new European supergrid for electricity and gas as one of the "next great European projects" to meet growing energy demand in a sustainable way. In addition, he highlighted the current Commission's leadership in launching the Nabucco pipeline project as well as progress towards Baltic interconnectors.
"The next five years will not only need to see these projects come to fruition, but also new initiatives such as a Mediterranean interconnection plan, interconnections for gas, electricity and oil, as well as links between African suppliers and the EU," he said.
