MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the European Commission presented the white paper on the future of the 27-nation bloc.
"This paper is a real missed opportunity to set Europe on the path to a sustainable future in a way that would engage with its citizens – it lacks any vision or leadership. The Commission fails to deliver a credible blueprint for a Union that would live up to shared European values of social justice and environmental protection. Vision, not fear, must be at the heart our Union!" Genevieve Pons said.
According to the WWF official, the White Paper mentions the environment and sustainable development on a few occasions, but these issues are mostly focused on climate change.
She added that many options presented in the document "are designed to put a halt to higher environmental protection standards," or even to "roll-back" several achievements of the bloc in the environmental sphere.