Green Recovery – Emerging stronger from the crisis

Virtual Briefing on climate policy: Germany’s Council Presidency in the run-up to COP26

On 1 July, Germany took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU – at a time of crisis and high expectations of viable and sustainable solutions.

Overcoming the impacts of the COVID-19-pandemic and rebuilding Europe’s economies in a resilient manner as quickly as possible are among Germany’s top priorities during its Council Presidency. Combining these efforts with the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals as our long-term goals will be challenging. Yet the willingness of governments across Europe to spend extraordinarily large amounts of money to end the massive economic downturn fast is unprecedented. It allows us to not only rebuild, but also to improve. In our response to the crisis, we have – as the UN Secretary-General pointed out – a choice: “We can go back to where we were, or we can invest in a better, more sustainable future”.

We invite you to discuss with us ways to effectively implement the European Green Deal in times of economic crisis and turn the COVID-19-pandemic into an opportunity. Achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050 and reaching an ambitious agreement on a new 2030 greenhouse gas mitigation target remain of utmost importance and will be Europe’s contribution to a sustainable future.

Against this backdrop, we would like to discuss the following questions with you:

• To what extent is the COVID-19-crisis recovery strategy in line with the European Green Deal?

• How is the European Climate Law progressing and what is its significance for the next COP?

• What are the options for the EU to send a strong signal to the international community and help make COP 26 a success in 2021?

We kindly ask you to register by 21 October

With:

Heiko Maas
Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs

Svenja Schulze
Federal Minister for the Environment
Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

Marie-Luise Beck
Managing Director
German Climate Consortium (DKK)

Lutz Weischer
Head of Policy Berlin
Germanwatch

and other experts