Economic coronavirus recovery must be at heart of German EU Council presidency – DIHK

The economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis must be the focus of the German EU Council presidency in the second half of 2020, with the European Green Deal as the key growth strategy, the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) has said. In a paper seen by Clean Energy Wire, the business lobby group calls for protecting the European Single Market, an agreement for a recovery-focussed multiannual financial framework by the end of this year and changes to the Green Deal. “The focus should be on measures to revive the economic power of companies after the economic slump resulting from the pandemic and to lay the foundations for economically and ecologically sustainable growth,” the DIHK writes. To achieve this, the EU should refrain from imposing additional financial burdens on companies. “This also applies to the discussed tightening of the CO₂ reduction target for 2030,” as it would lead to significant cost increases and new bureaucratic requirements as long as there is a lack of alternatives for low-carbon production, the DIHK writes.

Germany will take over the presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2020 and is currently revising its work programme to adapt it to the new situation in the coronavirus pandemic. Early drafts had foreseen a key focus on climate action.