Sinkevicius’s new mission: Bridging Greens and centre-right EPP

Newly elected as a Greens member of the European Parliament (MEP), outgoing Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius is positioning himself as the bridge between his group and the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), even though the latter has not taken the Greens into its alliance. 

The Lithuanian politician formally a commissioner in the centre-right-led college of Ursula von der Leyen, moves to the European Parliament, after being voted in as a representative of the green-conservative Union of Democrats ‘For Lithuania’, now part of the Greens/EFA group.

Sinkevičius, described as “von der Leyen’s biggest gamble”, was given the environment and oceans portfolio in 2019 at 28, becoming the youngest-ever commissioner.

He was put forward for the role in 2019, by the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, an unusual pro-environment conservative party seeking to join the ranks of the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), who left the Greens/EFA group.

The young politician navigated the politically controversial Green Deal files, such as the regulation to cut packaging waste, described as one of the most lobbied files in recent years, and a revision of the EU’s rules on industrial emissions.

Despite a tense relationship between the Greens and von der Leyen over her U-turn in several environmental legislation, including new green rules on the Common Agricultural Policy and the sustainable food systems law, Sinkevičius praised her support in the previous term.

Speaking to Euractiv, he credited von der Leyen with enabling him to “move forward” with his ambitious environmental portfolio.

Between Greens and centre-right

But sitting with the Greens in the parliament means Sinkevičius may have less influence in the next policymaking cycle. The EPP has so far dismissed calls by environmentalists to form a united coalition following the recent European Elections.

For von der Leyen, seeking support from the Greens is a move of last resort, if she cannot secure another mandate with just the support of the Socialists (S&D) and Renew’s liberals.

He, however, hopes the EPP will change its stance and allow the Greens into the coalition “as equal partners”.

“The Greens can play an important role in building a strong coalition, having a comfortable amount of votes for the Commission, and having an ambitious agenda,” declared Sinkevicius, echoing the Greens’ earlier comments. He argues his group is ready to “bridge positions”.

He has often found himself caught between environmental and agricultural interests. Many of the files he led — such as the Nature Restoration Law, anti-deforestation rules, industrial emissions regulations, and the soil law — had a significant impact on the farming sector.

“I think my work here in the Commission also proved that I’m able to bridge positions sometimes when they are extremely far apart by putting an extra effort,” he said.

In September 2023, facing growing opposition from politicians and farmers to the Nature Restoration Law, Sinkevičius warned environmental MEPs that maintaining the same level of ambition with the Green Deal as in 2019 would be challenging.

Despite opposition last year, the environment chief proposed an EU soil law, a contentious initiative previously blocked by the Council.  The Commission, however, ended up significantly scaling back its original ambitions.

“You need balance in everything, and we, of course, need to ensure that the EU builds its competitiveness in clean technologies (…) from the very beginning, it was not our climate policy, but it was our competitiveness policy.”

He is also seeking to move on from focusing exclusively on environment and fisheries,  to economy and innovation, which are poised to be the major priorities of the next EU legislative cycle.

Balancing a moderate position

While standing up for Green values, Sinkevičius echoed language used by the EPP on environmental policies.

Like the centre-right, the former commissioner blamed the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its new green requirements, which are necessary to receive subsidies, for igniting the farmer protests that swept Europe in early 2024.

“They [CAP rules] were proposed by the previous Commission before the Green Deal, and they were finalised within this mandate, but in negotiations between agriculture ministers and the Parliament’s AGRI Committee,” he explained.

“So they have very little to do with environmental policy.”

This is in line with the Commission’s measures to appease farmers, announced by von der Leyen in March, scrapping most of the CAP’s environmental rules.

Sinkevičius slammed the EU’s “big agribusiness” for damaging the small farm model and highlighted the unfair distribution of CAP payments, a position repeatedly voiced by the Greens.

He repeated the right-wing and liberals’ calls, that in the new political term (2024-2029) the EU should focus in policy implementation, rather than on expanding the Green Deal. With  the priority being cutting red tape.

“I don’t think so,” he said when asked whether there should be more Green Deal legislation proposed.

“We had a perfect run, and now it’s really time for implementation,” he said echoing one of von der Leyen’s campaign mottos.

[Edited by Alice Taylor / Aurélie Pugnet/Rajnish Singh]

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