Some lawmakers question his climate credentialsBRUSSELS, Aug 25 - The Dutch nominee to run the European Union's climate change portfolio is likely to face a tough hearing in the European Parliament to win the role, caught between calls for a more "realistic" approach to climate policies and those seeking more urgent action as extreme weather escalates.
If appointed, Hoekstra is expected to assume responsibility for climate change policies in the EU Commission. "We welcome the opportunity to restart a less polarising and more realistic climate policy for Europe," a spokesperson for the EPP Group said. "Climate is one of the biggest themes of this time," Hoekstra told reporters in The Hague. "I am hugely honoured and very grateful to be proposed as successor to Timmermans."