Now, Seriously, love EU Commission: Wants to be Europe in a climate-neutral, there is no Option other than the struggle of the orders.

Initial exchange of blows Handshake, then: von der Leyen, and the Trump photo: Evan Vucci/ap

In the 90s, many thought the battle of the systems was over and the end of history is achieved: The combination of liberal democracy plus a market economy would, as clearly the most successful model of all times, in all times.

by The political scientist Francis Fukuyama prominently advocated line of thought has already been countless times as a premature triumph howl discarded and currently, Ursula von der Leyen adds to the unintentionally of a new Chapter. The probably has not yet realized, the EU Commission President.

nor are the many other state leaders*in the EU, the way gratifying behind the project, the continent as the first in the world carbon neutral by 2050. What this means, it is just on the world economic forum in Davos a taste: a system conflict with the United States.

Because the EU has nothing Less able to invent the market economy. And to replace it by a System, the environmental costs (and, optionally, also the social costs, also has integrated known as the EU) in all the prices for each product and service.

Many economic scientists consider a way for the most elegant, to increase the price of simply the emission of CO2 gradually. And so your idea, protect climate-friendly cars, burgers and Ökobaumwoll vests on the market.

This is a fallacy. No one has taken the global networking of the economy in the equation. So what is the EU) happens when in response to a economy, his tax policy on eco (while others refuse (USA, Brazil, Australia), climate policy in a non-market economic System (China) or eco - and fossil technologies from development to political reasons alike, the Rest of the Festival) push (.

The slugfest between Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen in Davos was only a prelude of the new system of combat. The EU is to meet its climate targets, it needs to take this competition by all means.

Although the EU has done in the past significantly more to climate protection than the United States. But she has harvested the fruits that dangled already at eye level in The same industry make their processes more efficient, renewable energies, parallel to the old, fossil-build, buildings, dams.

The industries associated with CO2-intensive products in the global competition, you have, except just as a climate protection. That will not be possible in view of the objectives by 2050. The hard core of the EU industry needs to take huge risks in new technologies and processes to invest – and all this against competitors from the USA, can simply let the old, dirty, long-financed facilities continue to run, because climate sins, there is nothing cost.

The EU's response to a CO2 border tax, as von der Leyen in Davos once again recited. The tax is not to protect European companies that invest in climate protection, in front of cheap imports from countries that keep up with the CO2 as we are here. And at the same time, EU companies subsidise that want to export less harmful to the climate, and therefore more expensive products.

But no one yet knows how this tax practically is going to work, because in a VW parts from all over the world. The EU therefore needs to know the carbon footprint of each individual screw.

especially the new economic border regime of the EU must be effective, and this means that Europe must government its new climate economy against Donald Trump or any other Republican-led US-through boxes. After the "end of history" (Fukuyama) it follows the next story: capitalism versus ökokapital extremism.