Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives on March 21, 2019 in Brussels on the first day of an EU summit The theatrics of the Brexit crisis are making this week’s European Council summit in Brussels look like 27 against one. But in other business, the European Union is often a story of 15 versus 13. That is, the Western countries who joined the union before 2004, and the Eastern countries who joined after.
Tomorrow, the 28 leaders of EU countries are set to adopt a new strategy on action to combat climate change. In light of the, many leaders in the West had wanted to strengthen the strategy. But this has been fiercely resisted by Eastern European countries led by Poland. According to a leaked draft of the strategy, Poland is blocking an idea for the EU to commit to climate neutrality by 2050. It is being backed by its usual Eastern allies such as Hungary and the Czech Republic. But Warsaw has found a new ally against climate action which will likely see it win the battle tomorrow – Berlin.
Germany has broken ranks with other Western countries such as France, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands who support a call by the European Commission to meet the 2050 goal.The objecting countries, including Germany and Poland, are blocking any language in the strategy that would set a specific date for decarbonization.
Germany’s support or non-support for the 2050 plan will be decisive. It will be Angela Merkel who decides tomorrow whether the European Union heeds the calls of the young people marching on the streets of Brussels and Berlin, or whether it ignores them.Dave Keating is a reporter in Brussels who has been covering EU politics and policy for 12 years.
Why do you write “in light of the student protests...”? The fact is that they are changing their plans. To assume that this is a consequence of the student protests is, at best, an opinion. At worst, just bullshit.