This post was originally published on Politico.

BRUSSELS — Destroying the EU’s environmental policies to boost manufacturing and keep Europe competitive with China and the U.S. is a mistake, says former Arsenal player and French international soccer player Mathieu Flamini.

Instead, the athlete, who is now the CEO of a France-based chemicals company, says the bloc should double down on moving away from fossil fuels, arguing that weakening rules like the EU’s Emissions Trading System would not solve Europe’s competitiveness problem.

“The reality is, if we believe we’re going to remove the carbon tax in Europe and suddenly we’re gonna be competitive with China or other [regions],

Author: By Jakob Weizman