Environment committee elects new Chair

On Monday evening, the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety elected MEP Pierfrancesco Maran (S&D, IT) as Chair.

Pierfrancesco Maran was elected as the new Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) by secret ballot.

Following his election, Mr. Maran said: "It is a great responsibility and honour to be elected as Chair of the ENVI Committee. This historic moment demands great resolve. We must continue the transition we have embarked on by implementing the Green Deal, which is effectively a freedom deal that helps us strengthen European autonomy through energy and resource independence.

To succeed, we need massive investments - as the Draghi report underlines - and an alliance with our citizens and businesses. We must prove that our environmental goals are the engine of our prosperity, not a brake on our progress.

Climate change is a visible reality, not a theoretical concept. It is up to us to propose effective and innovative policies that make our Union more resilient and competitive. I look forward to working with all Members in a spirit of service to lead this change."”.

Background

Former ENVI Chair Antonio Decaro was elected president of the Italian region of Puglia at the end of 2025 and subsequently resigned as MEP.

Born in Milan in 1980, Pierfrancesco Maran is a member of the Democratic Party of Italy and has been a member of the Socialists and Democrats group since 2024. With solid experience in public administration and urban and environmental policies, prior to his election in Brussels, he was Councillor for Urban Planning and Mobility in the Municipality of Milan. He has always interpreted his commitment to ecological transition and innovation in public services with a reformist and pragmatic approach.