Mark Demesmaeker is the greenest Flemish MEP

Of all Belgian MEPs, Mark Demesmaeker is the one who has put the most impressive mark on European environmental policy. That’s the conclusion of an analysis by the independent non-profit organisation, VoteWatch Europe. “The N-VA is showing that things can and must be done differently, including in dossiers concerning environment and public health,” Mark Demesmaeker reacts with enthusiasm. “In this way the power of change is increasingly making itself felt at European level too.”

Since 2009, VoteWatch Europe has been charting political activities, the voting behaviour of the European elected representatives to be more precise. Recently, the organisation also did this for the European environmental policy. In that respect it assessed not only the standpoints of the various MEPs, but also the effective influence that they exercise on real policy measures that the European Union takes in the interest of the environment.

Green deeds as well as words

Research reveals that together with their colleagues from Luxembourg and Cyprus, the Belgian MEPs are currently adopting the most progressive environmental standpoints. And in terms of policy impact too, they’re among the best in the class. But for some the most striking factor is possibly the recognition of Mark Demesmaeker as the Belgian MEP with the greatest impact on green dossiers. However, those who are even slightly acquainted with and follow the president of our European delegation are aware that for a very long time now he has been an advocate of nature preservation and biodiversity.

As a member of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, he recently co-negotiated the new European waste policy objectives, for which Flanders served as a model. And as vice-president of the Dieselgate investigation committee, he co-developed a range of recommendations for preventing a new emissions scandal. The European Parliament also approved his report on biodiversity. And Mark Demesmaeker received virtually unanimous support for his appeal to the European Commission not to subject the Habitats Directive to a review, but on the contrary to carry them out in full. It was a recommendation that the Commission followed through on.