Inside Commissioner-Designate Hoekstra’s confirmation hearing: Key policies, promises and challenges ahead 

This Thursday, Wopke Hoekstra presented his vision and sought confirmation from the European Parliament for his nomination as the EU Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth. But what did he say – or leave out – during the three-hour grilling by Members of the European Parliament?  

In his introductory speech, Commissioner-designate pledged his strong commitment to “staying on course” on climate action, to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. In this vein, he reiterated the importance of fully implementing existing climate and energy legislation.  Another key theme in his remarks was the necessity of aligning industrial competitiveness with climate neutrality, aiming for a synergy where both objectives reinforce each other. 

The missing target 

While the EU has existing, legally binding climate commitments for 2030 and 2050, it has yet to agree on an intermediary  target for 2040. During the confirmation hearing, Hoekstra echoed previous assurances by Commission President von der Leyen, as well as his own mission letter, reaffirming that he would propose a binding emissions reduction target of 90% by 2040. This is encouraging, but clarity on the timeline is still needed.  

Moreover, it is important that the Commission breaks down the overall target into dedicated sub-targets for emissions reduction, carbon sequestration, and permanent carbon removals. With separate targets that account for each area’s unique challenges and benefits, policymakers will be able to track progress, incentivise, and tailor specific policies across three areas without undermining decarbonisation efforts. 

Clean Industrial Deal 

In his statement, Hoekstra pledged to work with fellow Commissioners to put forward the new Clean Industrial Deal within the first 100 days of his mandate, as the competitiveness of EU industry remains central to the new Commission’s agenda.  

It is a strong political message, but one that will need to be fleshed out in the coming months. Details regarding the scope and specific initiatives within the Deal are yet to be clarified, and the initiative will require robust coordination across different parts of the Commission. Hopefully, next week’s hearings of Séjourné and Ribera may shed more light on the guiding cleantech policy for this mandate.  

Addressing hard-to-abate sectors 

As Hoekstra noted, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies will be needed to decarbonise European industries. Concretely, the Commissioner stated, “We can’t CCS our way out of the climate crisis, but the contribution of CCS can be potentially huge.” 

CCS is undoubtedly most needed as an abatement solution for very hard-to-abate sectors, such as cement, lime, waste-to-energy, and certain petrochemical processes, where CO2 emissions are not related to fossil fuel combustion but are released directly from intrinsic production processes, and where CCS is therefore the only option available to decarbonise.  

The references to infrastructure, markets, and funding are promising as these are crucial pieces of the puzzle. However, they will need to be developed into concrete actions over the coming months.  

Moreover, the Commission must ensure that industries from all parts of Europe can access CO2 storage at affordable costs. Currently, the concentration of storage facilities in Northern Europe could mean that industries from Southern and Eastern Europe risk paying up to  six times more than their Northern counterparts to use CCS in their decarbonisation efforts, unless the Commission efficiently coordinates CO2 transport and geographical distribution of CO₂ storage sites in the EU.  

Considering negative emissions 

Commissioner-designate Hoekstra recognised the complexities involved in potentially integrating carbon removals into the EU’s Emission Trading System (EU ETS). The Commission is indeed mandated to assess by 2026 if and how permanent carbon removals can be integrated into the EU ETS.  

While removals will play a crucial role in reaching climate neutrality by 2050 and achieving negative emissions thereafter, the Commission must carefully assess all the implications and different options for integrating permanent carbon removals into the ETS, as well as other policy alternatives outside the ETS. The Commission must ensure that emission reductions are not disincentivised and guarantee the environmental integrity of the system.  

CATF is currently preparing a report, together with Concito, to be published beginning of December 2024, on the impact of the different mechanisms for integrating removals into the ETS.  

Strengthening national plans 

The Commissioner-designate also stressed the key role of Member States in ensuring the EU reaches its climate goals. As the Commission has recognised, Member States are still far from fully tapping into the potential of National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) as effective planning and investment tools. CATF hopes that Commission will take a more proactive role in supporting countries’ planning ambitions, and that Member States will ensure that NECPs become tangible action plans for national policy, spending, and technology deployment. 

Bringing other regions on board 

Climate change is a global challenge, not just a European one. The EU prides itself on being a leader in climate action on the international stage. Commissioner-designate Hoekstra will have to leverage the full scope of EU diplomacy, market influence, and technical and financial resources to drive decarbonisation efforts worldwide. The Commission will also need to embrace technological openness, acknowledge unique national contexts, and work collaboratively with a wide range of international coalitions, to advance the deployment of clean technologies globally. 

What’s next?  

The Commissioner-designate was confirmed by the Parliament. The coming months will be crucial to flesh out the ideas and initiatives mentioned, and to better assess his ability to deliver on the ambitious goals.  

Following evaluations by the responsible committees, the Conference of Presidents will conduct a final assessment and is expected to officially conclude the hearings on 21 November. Once the Conference of Presidents confirms that all hearings are closed, the evaluation letters will be published. 

The full College of Commissioners is then set for final confirmation by Members of the European Parliament in the plenary session from 25 to 28 November.