A new deep dive into data from five leading climate and environment organisations uncovered the fact that only a minority of Members of the European Parliament during the 2019 – 2024 mandate acted to protect the climate, nature, and quality of air in Europe. The majority of Members of the European Parliament, on the other hand, acted either as procrastinators or as prehistoric thinkers, postponing action with non-uniform and inconsistent voting, or, worse still, completely failing to cope with the challenge of the crisis Europe is facing.

There are enormous benefits for citizens arising from a socially just transition to a climate-neutral, natural Europe with no pollution, and during the last five years, the European Parliament had the power and the opportunity for bold action in order to lead the European Union in that direction. This June, citizens will have a chance to hold their representatives accountable for their work in the European Parliament and to demand stronger ambitions in the coming years.

In order to support this, BirdLife Europe, Climate Action Network Europe, European Environmental Bureau, Transport & Environment, and WWF European Policy Office analysed the voting records of the European Parliament for the previous five years and provided the citizens with an interactive overview with scores of all national political parties, and the European Parliamentary Groups based on their votes.

The EU Parliament Scoreboard notes the individual voting behaviour of each Member of the European Parliament during the 2019 – 2024 mandate and gives each Member a score based on the voting recommendations of the five environmental organisations. This provides a measure of dedication of each Member of the European Parliament to environmental sustainability – with results spanning from 0 to 100 points. The scores are shown in a scoreboard for political groups and national parties represented in the European Parliament. The scoring evaluates the voting behaviour across 30 policies, including key legislation on climate, energy, and environment. 12 of the policies are focused on the climate-neutral and socially just transition, 8 are focused on a nature-positive Europe, and 10 are focused on circular economy and achieving zero pollution.

Scores
There is a natural diversity and nuance within the political groups and national parties, and protectors can be found in the whole of the political spectrum – except the far-right. The following scores are the headline figures based on the aggregates, while the complete overview of each group, party, and votes can be found in the EU Parliament scoreboard:

Protectors

• Greens – European Free Alliance – 92/100
• The Left – 84/100
• Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats – 70/100

 

Procrastinators

• Renew Europe – 56/100

 

Prehistoric Thinkers

•  European People’s Party – 25/100
• European Conservatives and Reformists – 10/100
• Identity and Democracy – 6/100

Ariel Brunner, Director at BirdLife Europe: “Nature is collapsing, and if we allow it to collapse, we’ll go down with it. Europe has proven that it can bring back species from the brink of extinction, clean up rivers, and protect precious habitats. Opinion polls consistently show that Europeans care about nature and want to see it restored, alongside fighting the climate crisis, but whether this happens or not depends on the people they choose to represent them in the EU Parliament.”

Chiara Martinelli, Director at Climate Action Network Europe: “Now is the time for European citizens to wake up to the real possibility of a European Parliament full of prehistoric thinkers – to get out and vote for parties that can provide the climate protectors we so deeply need to improve and strengthen the European Green Deal. Climate vulnerable regions in Europe and around the world need and expect continued action – and the only way forward from here is a fossil-free, socially just, and climate-neutral European Union.”

Faustine Bas-Defossez, Director for Nature, Health and Environment at the European Environmental Bureau: “Citizens across Europe have a critical opportunity in the upcoming EU elections to steer our continent towards a future that prioritises health, is toxic-free and tackles the urgent challenge of the pollution crisis we face. The EU Scoreboard will help finding out which political parties champion the Green Deal and prioritise the well-being of both people and the planet. It’s crucial that we elect representatives committed to bold action towards a cleaner, healthier Europe for all.”

William Todts, Executive Director at Transport & Environment: „ The EU is a force for good when it comes to climate action. From clean cars to carbon taxes for planes and ships, the EU has done what national governments couldn’t or wouldn’t do. In many European countries there would be very little environmental protection without the EU. The voting results show that some parties have been less forward looking, voting to keep dirty and polluting transport and energy artificially alive. The June elections will determine who’s in charge in Europe until 2029. We can’t take progress for granted.”

Ester Asin, Director at WWF European Policy Office: „ In the EU’s journey towards energy independence, we have achieved steady progress in the past few years: in 2022, 23% of our energy came from renewable sources. But nearly 60% of that came from biomass. There are still far too many prehistoric thinkers in the European Parliament who continue to believe the propaganda put out by bioenergy industry lobbyists that burning trees and crops will reduce emissions. The EU’s absurd bioenergy policies must be changed. Looking ahead, we need leaders who strive to build an affordable, clean and genuinely renewable energy future. It is the only way to protect Europeans from the harsh impacts of climate change and the biodiversity crisis.”