With Hoekstra appointed as Climate Commissioner, help us organise for climate justice!

Dear friends,

Last week, the European Parliament ignored massive public pressure and voted to appoint corporate-friendly Wopke Hoekstra as the new EU climate commissioner. The right-wing Dutch politician has a track record of supporting fossil fuels - not good news for people or the planet.

However, the pressure we built together - more than 100,000 people called for his rejection, 50 organisations wrote to the Parliament saying he was unfit for the job, youth activists including Greta Thunberg also made the case - meant there were some victories. The ex-Shell man was forced to commit to science-based climate targets for 2040 to convince MEPs he was fit for the job, as well as disclose his clients and the files worked on while at controversial consultant McKinsey. We now need your help to make sure he discloses this information.

Hoekstra spent six years at McKinsey while also a Dutch Senator, and as McKinsey has advised some of the most polluting companies on the planet, this represents a potentially monumental conflict of interest. To avoid this happening again, we need a firewall to protect decision-making from the fossil fuel industry, like we’ve done with the tobacco industry

“In approving Hoekstra as climate commissioner, the European Parliament intentionally ignored his track record of siding with big polluters. Expecting him to lead a fossil fuel phase-out is like asking the tobacco industry to stop people smoking. It doesn’t add up”, explains CEO’s climate campaigner Martha Myers.

At CEO we plan to hold Hoekstra to account, both in Brussels and at the UN climate talks in Dubai, where he’ll be leading the EU negotiating team. Look out for our upcoming work as we push for a firewall at both levels to blunt the influence of the fossil fuel lobby.

We want to keep up the fight, but we are the only fully independent organisation in Europe constantly monitoring and challenging the influence of many corporate lobby groups on policy-making in the EU. We are committed to remaining independent from the EU and - of course - corporate funding, so we rely on your support to keep going.

In solidarity,

Marcella, Belén, Kees, Nina, Bram, Karin, Martha, Vicky, Joana, Kat, Olivier, Pascoe, Kenneth, Sarah, and João