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Ambitious climate and environmental policy

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Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the German Presidency will pursue ambitious goals in line with the United Nations' 2030 Agenda.

We want to overcome the economic and social challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in a sustainable and inclusive manner and continue to pursue ambitious goals in line with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The European Green Deal is the centrepiece of the European approach to sustainability. It combines climate, environment and biodiversity protection with social justice and economic growth. We strive to find an agreement on an updated 2030 climate target. As a leading industrial nation, Germany has committed to sharing the responsibility of reaching the Green Deal’s ambitious yet crucial targets, while maintaining and strengthening the EU’s global competitiveness and avoiding carbon leakage.

Furthermore, we aim to agree on Council conclusions on the EU Biodiversity Strategy, a further important element of Europe’s recovery plan. We will also strive to agree on Council conclusions on the new Circular Economy Action Plan, which can help to keep the resource consumption in the EU within planetary boundaries and make the EU’s economy more resilient. And we want to begin deliberations on an 8th Environmental Action Programme.

The German Presidency will ensure that, as the Union deals with the pandemic, the objectives of Europe’s Green Deal are upheld and the Union that emerges after the pandemic will be more competitive, greener and more sustainable.

What else will the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union do to contribute to reaching the EU’s climate goals?

Committed to multilateral solutions, Germany’s EU Council Presidency will work towards:

  • Fostering climate-friendly and sustainable mobility
  • European cooperation in offshore wind and other renewable energies
  • Secure and sustainable supplies of gaseous energy sources such as hydrogen, particularly from renewable sources
  • Promoting the development of relevant markets and infrastructures in the European Union
  • Working towards concluding the negotiations in the Council on the draft climate law, which i.a. makes climate neutrality by 2050 legally binding
  • Ambitious climate diplomacy and developing an active foreign energy policy

On this topic

Central topics of Germany's Presidency of the Council of the EUInternal link

The following pages concerning the German Council Presidency programme provide detailed insight into the issues that Germany intends to drive forward during its Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2020 - working together for Europe’s recovery.

Focus areas of Germany's Presidency of the Council of the European UnionInternal link

Under the motto “Together for Europe’s recovery”, Germany has established its guiding principles for the country's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Taking stock of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU: “Together for Europe’s recovery”Internal link

COVID‑19, the EU budget, the rule of law, the climate – over an eventful six months, Germany’s Presidency has strengthened the European Union both internally and externally.