The world after that, will it be more vert?? At least that is the declared wish of 180 European policy makers, business leaders, trade unions, NGOs and think tanks. The Confederation of European Paper Industries Cepi is one of the signatories of the Green Recovery initiative launched today, 14 April. Together, they are committed to creating, supporting and implementing solutions to prepare for a greener post-coronavirus economy.
The Cepi explains: "This first pan-European call for mobilisation on post-crisis green investments will help to build the recovery and transformation plans that make the fight against climate change and for biodiversity the key pillars of the economic strategy."
"It's not about creating a new economy from scratch, says Pascal Canfin, the chairman of the European Parliament's Environment Committee, on the initiative of this alliance. We already have all the tools and many new technologies."
He goes on to say: "We already have the plans and the strategy. Projects such as the European Green Deal and other national zero-carbon development plans have enormous potential to rebuild our economy and help create a new model of prosperity. We therefore believe that we need to prepare Europe for the future and design recovery plans, at local, national and EU level, that put the fight against climate change at the heart of the economic strategy. Now is the time to turn these plans into actions and investments that will change people's lives and contribute to the rapid recovery of our economies and societies"
"Covid-19 will not make climate change and environmental degradation go away. The fight against this crisis will not be won without a strong economic response. The alliance is committed to fighting and winning both battles simultaneously, and in doing so, to being stronger together." he adds.
The signatories of the Green Recovery are ministers from 11 countries, 79 multi-party MEPs from 17 Member States, 37 CEOs, 28 professional associations representing 10 different sectors, one trade union confederation representing members of 90 national organisations and 10 trade union federations, 7 NGOs and 6 think tanks make up the membership.
Among them are Cepi (18 national associations representing 500 companies operating 895 plants with 180,000 employees), Jean-Paul Agon, CEO of L'Oréal, Niels B. Christiansen, CEO of the Lego group, Bertrand Camus, CEO of the water and waste management group Suez, Ester Asin, Director of the WWF European Policy Office, Laurent Berger, President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Tim Brett, President of the Western Europe division of The Coca Cola Company, Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ikea, Helena Helmersson, CEO of the ready-to-wear chain H&M and Elisabeth Borne, French Minister for Ecological and Solidarity Transition.
