Nov. 20 was marked by cooperation with Africa. In the morning, the “G20 Investment Summit” took place at the invitation of the Sub-Saharan Africa Initiative of the German Economy. And from early afternoon, the Federal Chancellor invited numerous partners from Africa and the world to the “G20 Compact with Africa 2023 Conference” at the Chancellor’s […]
The economics of renewable energy have improved beyond recognition. Solar power is now the cheapest form of electricity in history. Over 90 percent of power-generation capacity added around the world last year was in renewables. But to stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the world’s energy systems must […]
The UN Climate Change Conference in December made it clearer than ever before that the world is still a long way from a 1.5-degree pathway: global greenhouse gas emissions must fall by 43% by 2030 in order to achieve this. Germany and the EU are not yet making a sufficient contribution to this either. The […]
There are sentences that hurt. Sentences like this one: “This person is not part of the government.” The sentence is written under the name of Clément Beaune, who was transport minister before President Emmanuel Macron’s government reshuffle. Since then, people in Paris have been asking themselves: What next? What will become of Clément Beaune?Apparently, he […]
This summer, we published a study on the consequences of a higher carbon price in the EU. The effects on the real gross domestic product (GDP) of the EU as a whole were small. In contrast, above-average GDP declines were calculated for the Eastern European economies. Economically, the EU is in danger of drifting apart […]
It’s party conference time in the EU: the European parties are meeting over the next few weeks to adopt their European election programs and nominate their lead candidates. The Greens kicked things off at the beginning of February with Terry Reintke and Bas Eickhout, followed a few days ago by the Left with Walter Baier. […]
The digital and sustainable transformation, the necessary renewal of public infrastructure, and the strengthening of European sovereignty will lead to a considerable need for funding in the coming years. Europe has a lot of catching up to do to make itself fit for the future.These tasks cannot be accomplished with public funds alone. Private capital […]
There will be a lot of noise next Tuesday (April 9) at the usually discreet European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg. This is because the Grand Chamber of the ECHR will announce its verdict on three climate lawsuits – a ruling that has the potential to shift the dynamics in climate policy.But what […]
Climate action and energy sovereignty require technology – specifically net-zero technologies that ensure lower emissions, from wind turbines and electrolyzers to efficient production control. We should produce these technologies on a significant scale in Europe for two reasons:Firstly, this is a question of sovereignty. Because if net-zero technologies from battery cells to PV modules, for […]
State territory, state authority, and state people: These are the traditional criteria used by international law experts to measure a state. However, the European Union is more like a mosaic than a monolithic block and is accordingly described as a “federation of states“. The idea of a common “nation-state” stands in the way of deeper […]