German government sticks to plan for Climate Protection Law in 2019

The German government will stick to its plan to introduce a Climate Protection Law in 2019 despite major internal difficulties harrowing the coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democrats (SPD). A first draft of the law will still be compiled in 2018, a spokesperson of Germany’s environment ministry (BMU) told the Clean Energy Wire. The government cabinet plans to decide the law, which aims to make sectoral emissions targets in line with the Paris Climate Agreement binding, “before Easter” on 21 April, he added. It wants the parliament to pass the law before the end of 2019. Patrick Graichen, of energy policy think tank Agora Energiewende*, said the roadmap for the law largely corresponds with the government’s plan outlined in the coalition treaty. “However, I’m not sure if this coalition still has the strength to implement it,” Graichen told the Clean Energy Wire.
German environment minister Svenja Schulze had said all ministries must come up with a plan to help achieve the country’s 2030 climate goals and that she would “no longer accept inadequate measures that clearly undermine the targets”.

See the CLEW articles Germany headed for largest emissions drop since 2009 recession and German parties fiercely debate IPCC’s 1.5° report in parliament, as well as the CLEW factsheets Germany’s Climate Action Plan 2050 and From ideas to laws – how Energiewende policy is shaped for background.

*Like the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.