Iran war shows Green Deal ‘fundamental’ to EU security, says new top environment MEP

BRUSSELS — Soaring fossil fuel prices caused by the war in the Middle East show that the European Union’s climate efforts are vital for its independence and security, the new chair of the European Parliament’s environment committee said.

When Italian center-left lawmaker Pierfrancesco Maran was elected committee chair last month, he described the bloc’s Green Deal as a “freedom deal” — and he feels vindicated in this argument following the American and Israeli strikes on Iran. 

The outbreak of war last week effectively halted tanker traffic through the Persian Gulf, sending oil and gas prices skyrocketing. This development, much like the energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, demonstrates that the green transition is necessary not only for the climate but also for Europe’s security, Maran told POLITICO. 

“Today, after the bombs in Iran, the Green Deal represents even more our idea of freedom and autonomy,” he said in an interview. 

“We can have different strategies — we can go on looking for gas and oil in country after country, in a world that is less stable every day, or we can be much more autonomous,” he added. “Pushing for renewables, pushing to have better industries that can produce more while consuming less, are part of a strategy of autonomy of Europe that is fundamental.” 

Maran replaces Antonio Decaro, a fellow Italian from the center-left Democratic Party, who returned to domestic politics after less than two years in Brussels. 

Like Decaro, Maran joined the European Parliament in 2024 from local politics — prior to becoming an MEP he served for nearly two decades as a city councillor in Milan. 

He describes himself as a European “federalist” who would like to see the bloc have common foreign and defense policies, and believes that the EU needs to massively scale up future-oriented investments — if necessary, through joint borrowing. 

Maran also is wary of taking the bloc’s new deregulation drive, which has seen several environmental policies weakened over the past year, too far. 

“Many companies ask mainly for stability. So even changing rules day after day and giving the impression that nothing is sure because you can change it is problematic,” he said.

Until he beat the only challenger, far-right MEP Roman Haider, by a large margin to become chair last month, Maran was not even a member of the Environment Committee. 

Still, he can claim some experience in green policymaking, having worked on environmental issues as a city councillor and recently serving as the internal market committee’s lead lawmaker on recycling rules for cars.

His work on the car recycling file, he says, has left him “optimistic” that majorities can be built to support ambitious green policies even in this more right-wing European Parliament. 

“I think there is a space, after people loudly talk about their ideological positions, to find an agreement among persons of common sense,” he said. 

As chair, he represents all MEPs on the committee, and insists he’s not shutting out the far right. “If they want to be open to cooperation for good results, of course, the door is open.” 

But he has no patience for politicians who deny or downplay climate change. “It’s normal we have different positions on how to face this problem, but whoever says it doesn’t exist is outside of reality.”