Germany sees no return to easy EU climate decisions

German environment minister and green party politician Steffi Lemke has warned that easy decision-making processes for climate change and environment policies in the EU are unlikely to return after the election in June. This comes after a key EU vote on a provisional deal for climate, nature and environment was withdrawn because of a lack of member state support.

Global challenges and geopolitic "are all too profound" to go back to what the EU decision-making process was like five years ago, Lemke said.

But she noted that ultimately depends on the EU elections results in June and "how far extreme and populist parties gain majorities".

This comes as the adoption the nature restoration law was cancelled yesterday after a number of countries, including Hungary, withdrew their support. Lemke said the vote was supposed to be "a formality" but that it is now unclear whether the law can still pass in this legislative period.

The European Parliament had previously approved the nature restoration law, agreed with EU states, that commits EU countries to restoring at least 30pc of habitats in poor condition by 2030, 60pc by 2040, and 90pc by 2050.

Lemke said that not adopting the nature restoration law would leave the EU more exposed to climate change. "We'll not be able to manage climate risks without nature in order," she said.

Unstable ecosystems exacerbate the problems faced because of climate change, for the economy, infrastructure, human health, she said. "It's also about protecting agriculture from climate change". "US insurers are withdrawing from different regions because they can't insure climate risks anymore". "We shouldn't make the mistake of scoring easy points against climate and environmental protection," she added.

"Climate-friendly states will try to get [the law] up for adoption at a later date," she added. When asked whether Germany has some responsibility for encouraging others to block provisional agreements on EU laws, she said that the country has not always been an "easy negotiation partner".

But Lemke pointed out that Germany had finally approved many important laws, most recently the packaging and packaging waste regulation. The phase-out of the internal combustion engine had been particularly difficult for the German government.

Other member states have also encountered major difficulties in securing government approval or parliamentary support, she said, pointing again the geopolitical situation after Russia's attack on Ukraine. Many countries have seen populist parties and right-wing extremist parties fueling uncertainty, and have had to contend with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and global inflation. "This had made democratic governance significantly more difficult in the member states themselves, but also in Europe," she said.

By Dafydd ab Iago