Berlin faces battle over climate targets
The German presidency of the EU Council aims for a recovery fuelled by renewables, but there is disagreement among member states over key climate targets
Germany's energy and climate ambitions appear to be increasingly aligned with those of the European Green Deal, but the country faces the challenge of convincing more reluctant member states before the end of its six-month presidency of the Council of the EU in December. Berlin is hoping to conclude negotiations on a climate law that will legally enshrine the bloc's 2050 climate-neutrality ambition and raise the emission reduction target for 2030 from the current 40pc below 1990 levels to 50-55pc. The file is a key priority for the presidency, but reaching an agreement may prove challenging. "The European Parliament is working flat out on the climate law, while EU governments are still at th
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