Climate policy: Who can decide on the new EU climate target?

The black and red coalition has defused a burgeoning conflict through an important EU climate law. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) made his claim that the EU Environment Minister should decide on the goal this month. Not only Germany wants to wait: At a preparatory meeting of the constant representatives in Brussels, several EU countries demanded that the heads of state and government at the EU summit in October to only deal with it. The decision is postponed. However, a deletion could have consequences.

So far there are EU climate protection goals for 2030 and 2050. According to the EU climate law, a goal for 2040 must also be set. At the beginning of July, the Commission had submitted the proposal to reduce the emissions of climate -damaging greenhouse gases by 90 percent by 2040, compared to 1990. It is primarily about the emissions of carbon dioxide that arise when burning coal, oil and gas. The European Parliament and the EU countries must position themselves for the proposal and agree at the end. However, there is resistance in several states.

How does the federal government position itself?

There was no big dissent in the matter anyway: “The federal government is among the climate goals, both that we have set ourselves nationally, as well as those who have agreed European appointments, as well as those that we have agreed internationally in a number of agreements,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) had already declared on Wednesday. The EU target largely coincides with the German climate protection plans and is also not in conflict with the coalition agreement of black and red. In terms of content, Germany will probably agree, even if you put some conditions in detail.

However, Schneider wanted to vote as soon as possible – preferably at the meeting with his European counterparts on Thursday. The Union, on the other hand, seemed to be less in a hurry. Union politicians emphasized that Germany had to agree with France, the reservations against the 2040 proposal.

Now Schneider’s Ministry said: The exact schedule was the responsibility of the Danish Presidency. “The informal European Council on October 1 offers opportunities to speak politically about current climate policy. It is clear that the decision about the new climate target will then be with the Council of Environment Minister and the European Parliament.”

Why does it make a difference where advice on the climate target?

For environmental ministers, a so -called qualified majority is enough to tie up the position for the climate target. In the case of peaks at the executive level, unity is necessary – and the dynamics are unpredictable. It would be conceivable that states like France and Poland ensure that their skepticism finds its way into the joint explanation.

The final decision lies with the environmental ministers- but if the summit of the heads of state and government took the current 2040 proposal from the table, there would be not much to decide.

Even if the climate target at the EU summit was unanimous, a deadline should now burst. Because the goal should be used as the basis for the climate protection plans that the EU has to submit to the United Nations. And they should be submitted by September 24 at the latest.

Warning climate protectors if the EU does not do some in time, threatening it to endure with a much too weak contribution and thus damage Europe’s credibility shortly before the climate conference in November in Brazil.

Why is the EU climate center important for 2040?

MEP Michael Bloss said of the Greens what was at stake is nothing less than the worldwide ability to act in the fight against the climate crisis. “Without ambitious promises by the industrialized countries, the countries of the global south will not enter into any new obligations,” he commented after the decision was relocated. “Friedrich Merz started the frontal attack on climate protection today,” said Bloss.

Time is urging, because the planet continues to heat up. The temperature of the earth was 1.6 degrees above the temperature of the pre-industrial age last year. At the Paris Climate Conference, the 2015 World Community had set itself the goal of limiting the warming to 1.5 degrees as possible, but at least to well below 2 degrees. Scientists consider this to be increasingly unrealistic. The warmer it gets on earth, the more likely extreme weather events such as droughts or extreme rains.