Preview 2022 – New German govt enters decisive energy transition year with high climate ambitions

A new German government has started its work shortly before Christmas, kicking off its four-year term with a key promise to make the country ready for its ambitious bid to become climate neutral before the middle of the century. At a time when another expected major wave of the coronavirus pandemic keeps governments around the world busy, the new three-party coalition cannot afford to delay climate action and must initiate legislative changes already in its first 100 days in office. Latest figures show that decisive indicators like energy consumption and renewables growth all point in the wrong direction, suggesting the government faces an uphill battle on the way to its ambitious 2030 climate goals that can only be reached if action across the board is taken immediately, experts say.

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Germany’s new government coalition is set to markedly strengthen the country’s European and international climate policy efforts and use the presidency of the G7 next year to advance the establishment of a global “climate club” and new bilateral “climate partnerships”. The alliance of Social Democrats (SPD), the Green Party and the Free Democrats (FDP) has only just taken office, but the coalition agreement and first minister statements clearly make the case for treating the transition to climate neutrality as a global challenge. To solve it, Germany will be firmly rooted among its European Union partners. In EU negotiations over the coming months and possibly years, the new government says it will support the European Commission’s “Fit for 55” energy and climate legislative proposals to implement the Green Deal. The G7 summit on 26-28 June in Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps could serve as an important stepping stone in the 2022 international climate agenda, which culminates in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt in November.

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Germany's new government must take rapid policy decisions at home and actively engage at the EU level and beyond to pave the way for urgent emission cuts in energy-intensive industry. The start of the country's government coalition coincides with a particularly sensitive time in EU climate policy, as negotiations over a plethora of emission-cutting initiatives are underway. Industry experts argue that Europe's largest economy has a special responsibility to push for ambitious targets and the instruments needed to reach them at home and abroad, not least because its powerful industry has much to gain from the drive towards climate neutrality. Many industry heavyweights are ready to launch the transition, but still lack the necessary incentives to spend many billions of euros on the pending replacement of ageing and polluting facilities with low-emission alternatives.

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Journalists! Mark your calendars – or rather let us do it for you. Europe is complicated and even journalists from EU member states sometimes struggle to understand how climate and energy policy is made, and when institutions take key decisions. This timeline flags key European energy and climate reporting events and developments and includes concise background information necessary to jump-start your coverage.

You can find more information on European climate and energy events and developments in the European Parliament’s European Green Deal legislative train schedule, in the event calendar of the German Council presidency, and in the Council’s press calendar.