German parliament to compensate CO2 emissions of members' duty travel

The German parliament's council of elders has decided that CO2 emissions of duty travel of MPs will have to be compensated through a "climate levy", news agency dpa reports in an article carried by newspaper Tagesspiegel. The compensation will be payable for air travel as well as for trips with parliament's staff cars, and the funds be channelled into climate action projects. "The Bundestag [German parliament] does its share for the reduction of CO2 emissions and for better climate action," Carsten Schneider of the Social Democrats (SPD) told dpa. He added that the council of elders aims to have the relevant budget available already in 2020.

News of the climate levy for MPs' travel came as parliamentarians held a first debate on the government coalition's climate package last week, which amongst other measures includes a pricing scheme for carbon emissions in the transport and buildings sector. The package has been criticised by opposition parties for likely failing to reach its stated aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with international obligations and for an unbalanced allocation of climate action costs.