Merkel Schulze
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) & German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (right) at the 10th Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin. (Tobias Schwarz/Pool via AP)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has for the first time given her support to the idea that Germany would join a pan-European alliance looking to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. The move appears to go against the country's actions at a recent EU summit where it appeared unwilling to join nine member states in a similar initiative.
Frau Merkel was speaking on the second day of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin. It was the first time she has spoken in uncompromising tones on the the issue of climate neutrality by 2050.
“It’s about climate neutrality. This means that we should not ensure there are absolutely no CO2 emissions but that if there are still CO2 emissions, we must find alternative mechanisms to store this CO2 or offset it,” Merkel said.
“I therefore propose that we have a discussion in the climate cabinet about how we could reach the goal of being CO2 neutral by 2050 and the discussion should not be about whether we can reach that goal but about how we will reach it."
Also at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue was German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze, from Social Democratic Party, and coalition partners of Merkel's CDU. In comments appearing critical of the Chancellor's approach, Frau Schulze said: “I would find it quite useful if we stood alongside France.”
After Frau Merkel had made her speech, Schulze said she felt the Chancellor had provided “an important clarification” to Germany's stand on climate protection.
“An industrialised country like Germany bears a huge responsibility for climate protection,” Schulze said.
A document recently leaked to Euractiv, showed that the governments of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Spain and Portugal were in support of developing an EU roadmap to zero emissions "by 2050 at the latest".
However, at an EU summit in Romania, Frau Merkel said that Germany would be unable to join the coalition as the country's 2050 targets differed from the objective being proposed.
The issue is proving divisive within the Union. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recently rejected appeals arguing that the 2050 target was not soon enough.
Back to Homepage
Back to Energy & Utilities