During this one-hour conversation, Karsten Sach, Director-General for European and International Climate Policy of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU), will shed light on Germany’s climate priorities for their term. After an introductory interview, Andrei Marcu (ERCST) will moderate a Q&A with participants.

On 1 July, Germany will assume the presidency of the Council of the EU from Croatia, for the remainder of ;The German presidency has already been dubbed the ‘crisis’ presidency, as it will have the challenging task to facilitate the negotiations regarding the EU’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, including the EU’s 21-27 budget and Recovery Fund.

Climate policy will be one of the other ‘central issues’ for the presidency, and several high- profile files, including Council discussions on the Climate Law, the Commission’s presentation of the 2030 Climate Target Plan and a potential update of the EU NDC, will likely be on the political agenda.

In addition, the German Presidency was to span COP 26 in Glasgow, a critical moment for those that look for an increase in NDC commitments. The EU, led by the Presidency, was expected to play a critical role in articulating the EU and global ambition, together with looking for a solution for the Article 6 rulebook.