Europe’s Green Deal

With its “Green Deal”, the European Union European Union In 1957, the Federal Republic was one of the six founder members of the current European Union (EU). Since 2013, the EU has consisted of 28 member states and the euro is the official tender in 19 of them. Germany contributes about 20% to the EU budget. Günther Oettinger (CDU), the former Prime… Read more › has set itself far-reaching goals, aiming to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The undertaking, which EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented in her inaugural speech in December 2019, is thus not just a masterplan for the next few years. Rather, it focusses on nothing less than the coming three decades, with the aim of modernising Europe sustainably and fairly. The Commission is responding in this way to the growing risks that climate change and the loss of biodiversity pose to the economies of the EU member states, while also responding to the results of the European elections Elections Every four years, the parties stand in the general elections to the Bundestag. Traditionally, the turn-out is high in Germany, and following a high in the 1970s, when the turn-out was over 90 percent, since reunification it has been around 80 percent. Read more › in May 2019, when a very large number of citizens showed by their votes that they wanted more climate and environmental protection.

At its heart, the Green Deal is a new growth strategy. The basic idea is simple: A large part of Europe’s economic output relies on preserving our natural resources, which include water, air and the soil as well as forests, oceans and a stable climate. Pre-emptive action is the best way to secure prosperity in the future, too. The Green Deal therefore prioritizes green technologies and a sparing approach to nature. The objective is to sever the link between economic growth and the use of resources, while at the same time creating new jobs. The countless initiatives in the framework of the project also give companies the requisite security in their planning and lay the foundations for a more crisis-resilient EU. This is also the underlying idea when it comes to overcoming the Coronavirus crisis.

Video: The European Green Deal

Sustainability as the principle underlying the European Union European Union In 1957, the Federal Republic was one of the six founder members of the current European Union (EU). Since 2013, the EU has consisted of 28 member states and the euro is the official tender in 19 of them. Germany contributes about 20% to the EU budget. Günther Oettinger (CDU), the former Prime… Read more › is not new. However, the Green Deal goes even further: It supports and accelerates the restructuring that is already in motion and turns it into a comprehensive concept for the future. The plan factors in all areas of the economy and society, from industry, trade, transport and agriculture to biodiversity, our natural heritage, the circular economy, and structural change. As key levers in the transformation process, taxation and finances will in future, so the plan, be brought to bear according to green criteria.

In the form of the Paris Climate Treaty, the European Union European Union In 1957, the Federal Republic was one of the six founder members of the current European Union (EU). Since 2013, the EU has consisted of 28 member states and the euro is the official tender in 19 of them. Germany contributes about 20% to the EU budget. Günther Oettinger (CDU), the former Prime… Read more › also committed to limiting global warming to well under two degrees and, if possible, to 1.5°C. The Green Deal outlines in the form of specific strategies and measures what Europe’s contribution to this will look like. In this way, the EU seeks to set a credible example and thus woo other players and like-minded allies at the international level.