Europe risks destroying its industrial base unless leaders retreat from aggressive climate policies and respond to voters demanding economic results, Czech Environment Minister Igor Červený warned in an interview. Speaking during his first visit to the United Nations, where he addressed the U.N. High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Červený said the current trajectory threatens to crush European industry.
Červený pointed to mounting pressure on European manufacturers, particularly the automotive sector, and warned that companies are increasingly moving production abroad. “If you look at the market at this moment, mostly in European countries, there is a very bad situation,” he said. “We see many companies leave our territory and leave for China or another place in the world.” Without those companies, he argued, European governments would lose both tax revenue and jobs.
The debate comes as Europe faces mounting pressure to revive its economy while maintaining ambitious climate targets. The discussion is increasingly relevant for the United States, Europe’s largest trading partner, as Washington and Brussels navigate disagreements over energy policy, industrial competitiveness and the pace of the global transition away from fossil fuels. Červený argued that European governments must find a “win-win” approach that protects the environment without undermining industry and employment.
“We have to be very careful about this and be very reasonable and try to find some solution for both sides,” he said. “If you look from a higher perspective at European countries, most of them provided only the green ideology. And I think this is a bad way.” Červený said resistance to the current approach was spreading beyond the Czech Republic, citing Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany and some Scandinavian countries.
The Czech Republic has been among several European governments pressing Brussels to ease parts of the Green Deal, including by delaying the bloc’s new carbon market for buildings and road transport and seeking changes to emissions-trading rules that Prague argues are raising energy costs and weakening industrial competitiveness. Červený’s warning stood in contrast to the position presented by European Commissioner for Environment Jessika Roswall during the ministerial segment of the U.N. High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York on July 13.
The annual forum, convened under the U.N. Economic and Social Council, brings governments together to review progress toward the organization’s global development goals. Roswall, speaking on behalf of the European Union and its member states, said the bloc remained committed to the 2030 Agenda, a U.N. framework adopted in 2015 that sets 17 goals covering issues including poverty, health, clean energy, infrastructure and environmental protection to be pursued by 2030. She warned that progress was being undermined by conflict, inequality and the “triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.” She called for accelerated climate action, greater investment in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies, and support for a broader green transition. “The challenge is not the lack of ideas, but the lack of speed,” she said. “So let’s speed up together.”
In his exclusive interview, Červený also praised President Donald Trump for strengthening European politicians who favor a less regulatory approach. “I’m glad that Mr. Donald Trump is president again, because this changed many things also in European countries,” he said, adding that the United States gives smaller countries such as the Czech Republic a stronger partner in debates in Brussels. Červený said Europe does not need to abandon sustainability, but should pursue it gradually and in cooperation with industry. “We have to change the course,” he said, “because we don’t want to lose our industry, our economy, our benefits for society and the environment as well.”
The minister’s comments reflect a growing divide within the European Union over how to balance climate ambitions with economic realities. While the European Commission continues to push for aggressive emissions reductions and renewable energy targets, a bloc of member states led by the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary has called for a more pragmatic approach that accounts for the costs to industry and households. The outcome of this debate could shape the future of European climate policy and its impact on global trade and investment.
