„Mutual dependencies“ in energy supply – that is not a bad starting position for Christoph Bals, political director of Germanwatch. On the contrary: He does not think much of „energy autarky“; close cooperation is one way to create stability. But in contrast to past experiences with the purchase of oil and gas, there must be cooperation on equal footing in the future. The energy partnership recently concluded with South Africa could serve as a model here. In an interview with Timo Landenberger and Lukas Scheid, Bals talks about how he views the climate policy challenges of the year and his position in the current taxonomy debate.