The EU-climate bill has many weaknesses. Positive, however, is that the green sets to Zero by 2050, States and investors under massive pressure.

the size of the EU climate-law: Ursula von der Leyen and Greta Thunberg in Brussels photo: Johanna Geron/reuters

a year Ago, the Federal government experienced a bad Surprise: Because of Germany's goals, its climate is not achieved, it must buy might be in other EU countries over the next few years for billions of euros of CO2 licences. Except for a few experts, the government had ousted simply what she had decided in Brussels with other States. Similarly, car manufacturers may need to pay high penalties because of too much CO2 emissions.

All of them had underestimated how environmental policy works in the EU: Brussels ' mills grind slowly and fine grinding but well. Similarly, from the EU's new climate law. The draft that the Commission's boss Ursula von der Leyen presented now, therefore, once unimpressive, but it is a big step forward. The EU no longer writes as the first big economic bloc, that by 2050, Europe emits CO2 than it emits.

The Commission wants to legally write mandatory a path, as the emissions are to be reduced, you want to define "necessary measures" and all the EU laws focus on the "green Zero", you want to make defaulting countries in the pillory. One would wish such rules from the U.S. or from China. However, the Brussels proposals have large gaps: How and how fast the climate should be the target for 2030 is lifted, is unclear, as is the question of what to do, the member countries specifically.

The proposal will be taken in the further procedure between the Parliament and the Council of governments apart, the seems clear. And von der Leyen are not many resources: There are no direct climate-obligations for individual States, the money for your Green Deal is close. has And the political heavy weights are not a big help: With the Brexit, Britain falls and Germany is mute.

Similar to the German climate protection law climate law is also valid for the EU: The Best thing about it is that it is there – even if it remains imperfect. There are rules and objectives formulated must, where investors and policy planners to follow. The real decisions are made, when the mills begin to grind to as well: the tightening of emissions trading, if in Germany, less coal is burned and in Poland, there are no donors for the coal find, as has just happened.

Whether the new law brings us a solution to the climate crisis closer, depends on many variables: As plucked it from the dispute between Parliament and Council is whether Germany is finally once again climate policy, if it is the end of 2020, the EU Council takes over. And whether it succeeds von der Leyen, for the implementation and enforcement of the rules for the Turbo to start up. Because the mills fine grinding, you need to turn a lot faster. Time is of the essence.