German environment minister makes awkward
Brussels debut
By Nikolaus
J. Kurmayer | EURACTIV.com 21 Dec 2021
Steffi
Lemke made her debut in Brussels on Monday (20 December) during a meeting of
the EU’s Environment Council where she was flanked by top-level public official
Patrick Graichen who took the floor for discussions related to the EU’s climate
package.
The
division of labour highlights the new structure of the German government where
the Green party holds three closely connected ministerial posts.
Alongside
the environment ministry headed by left-wing Steffi Lemke, the Greens placed
Cem Özdemir at the helm of the agriculture ministry, while vice-chancellor
Robert Habeck supervises Germany’s position on the economy, energy and climate
change.
In
Brussels, Lemke made clear that her portfolio will focus on forest protection
and mitigating the social impact of high energy prices and the green
transition.
“Forest
protection is absolutely crucial for achieving climate protection targets, but
also biodiversity targets,” Lemke told journalists ahead of her first ever
ministerial meeting in Brussels on 20 December.
According
to Lemke, the climate and biodiversity crises need to be tackled together. “It
is clear that both crises need to be resolved. Nobody benefits from playing one
against the other,” she explained, although she did recognise that the
expansion of renewables can create environmental issues. “It’s possible,
although not always without conflicts.”
However,
Lemke believes these can be managed. For example, wind turbines could be
allowed in woodland areas that have burned down or in monoculture forests, she
told the Süddeutsche Zeitung as reported by CLEW.
German
offshore wind expansion 'will be a major effort', says Habeck
As Olaf
Scholz was confirmed as Germany’s new Chancellor on Wednesday (8 December), his
second in command Robert Habeck faces a massive challenge: kickstarting a rapid
expansion of renewables that touches on the limits of the possible.
Meanwhile
on agriculture, Lemke took a prudent approach, apparently mindful not to step
on Cem Özdemir’s toes.
“We also
know that industrial agriculture is the greatest threat to biodiversity,” she
said, adding immediately that “nobody would say: then we will stop doing
agriculture.”
According
to Lemke, storing CO2 in functioning ecosystems is another example of combining
climate and nature protection. “We will renaturalise peatland, create more
natural forests, store more water as a precaution against droughts, and thus
protect and strengthen biodiversity.”
Climate
policy is vice-chancellor’s responsibility
But as
climate is no longer a competence assigned to her ministry, Lemke was
accompanied by Habeck’s top-level public official, Patrick Graichen, for
discussions on the EU’s legislative climate proposals, the so-called ‘Fit for
55’ package.
The former
chief of the environmental think-tank Agora Energiewende thus confirmed his
role as the vice chancellor’s point man for climate negotiations in Brussels
where he reiterated many of his known positions.
Given his
seamless transition from think-tank chief to top-level public official, the
summer reading for the new government, published by Agora Energiewende in
August 2021, deserves a second look.
“The new
federal government has the task of helping to shape the [Fit for 55] dossiers
through ambitious positioning so that they deliver fast and effective climate
protection,” the think-tank wrote back then.
Graichen’s
views seem to have remained largely unchanged: “From our point of view, it is
important that we quickly create planning security for climate protection,” he
said ahead of the meeting. “We should therefore make as much progress as
possible in the negotiations on the ‘Fit for 55’ dossiers in the coming six
months.”
He also
enumerated Germany’s four core priorities for the upcoming negotiations over the
bloc’s climate laws.
- First, a strong commitment to the EU’s carbon market, the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for which he proposed a minimum price of €60 per tonne. He also said Germany supports the creation of a separate ETS road transport and buildings. “We certainly do support the extension and beefing up of the ETS system,” he said.
- Secondly, he emphasised German concerns about the bloc’s proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). The current proposal does not provide a solution for exports, he explained, while stressing the scheme’s necessary compatibility with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.
- Thirdly, ensuring that the transition away from fossil fuels is “fair and social” will be paramount for the success of ‘Fit for 55’.
- Fourth, “we need the personal vehicles regulation to be concluded,” he said, noting that Germany was aiming for one third of its vehicle fleet to be electric by 2030.
Germany
“will be negotiating along these lines,” Graichen said.
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