Crucial European Green Deal package staggers to legislative conclusion

The European Green Deal is limping to the legislative finish line as elections loom and farmers continue to stage fierce protests across the continent. The policy package, launched with fanfare by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, five years ago, is supposed to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. But with elections in June, and polls suggesting some countries may take a swing to the right, the EU is gutting some of its key policies aimed at cutting pollution and protecting the environment. On Monday, the European Council cancelled a vote on a law to restore nature after eight…