Germany’s 2020 Council Presidency: Together for more environmental protection and climate action
Bild: iStock.com/sankai | Logo: eu2020.de
During its Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2020, Germany advanced EU decision-making processes and led negotiations on environmental issues. The aim of the Federal Environment Ministry was to combine recovery from the crisis with climate action and nature conservation.
During Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the aim of the Federal Environment Ministry was to combine recovery from the crisis with climate action and nature conservation. Climate action, biodiversity and sustainable digitalisation were the key priorities. There was also a major focus on implementation of the Green Deal to facilitate the social and environmental recovery of the economy.
Key decisions taken
During Germany’s Presidency of the Council, the EU made good progress on environmental protection and climate action. The German Presidency successfully advocated for an EU climate law, including a legally binding goal of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality in the EU by 2050. In addition, the EU committed to a more ambitious climate target for 2030, as envisaged in the Paris Agreement.
The Council also made key decisions in Council conclusions to stop biodiversity and ecosystem loss and initiate measures to move towards green digitalisation and a resource-efficient and low-emission economy. Beyond this, many other important decisions were taken to support ambitious European policy in environment, nature conservation and climate action.
EU Environment Council in Brussels under the German Presidency
At the German-led Environment Council in Brussels on 17 December 2020, the EU environment ministers agreed a common position on the European climate law, which established the climate neutrality goal and laid down a more ambitious climate target for 2030.
Informal Meeting of EU Environment and Climate Ministers
The EU environment ministers met for an informal meeting on 30 September and 1 October 2020 in Berlin. A key topic of discussion was implementing an increased EU climate target for 2030. Discussion focused on the European Commission’s comprehensive impact assessment of the social, economic and environmental effects of a more ambitious 2030 climate target.