Climate Policy Countdown

There is not much time left: before the end of Germany's EU Council Presidency at the end of the year, the German government wants to reach an agreement among the EU Member States on the future of European climate policy. In March, the EU Commission proposed that CO₂ emissions should be reduced by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 instead of the 40% currently envisaged, and that the balance of CO₂storage should be reduced to zero ("climate neutrality") by 2050. The 2050 target of climate neutrality was agreed by Member States in October. The resistance of some Eastern European countries to the tightening of the 2030 target is now to be overcome, if necessary, by financial concessions at the December summit of Heads of State and Government at the latest. The EU Council must then reach an agreement with the EU Parliament - but this is not a foregone conclusion: only in September, the EU parliamentarians spoke out in favour of an even stricter CO₂reduction target of at least 60% by 2030 compared to 1990.

Dr. Götz Reichert, LL.M.
Head of Department EU Climate Policy

Vocational Education

By means of a Council recommendation, the EU Commission wants to improve the comparability of vocational qualifications acquired in the Member States and integrate modern competence requirements into the curriculum. A cepPolicyBrief examines the proposal.

Capital Markets Recovery Package

In response to the economic shock caused by COVID-19, the EU Commission presented a "recovery package for the capital markets" in the summer, which is currently being discussed by the European Parliament. In three analyses the Centre for European Policy has evaluated the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II), the Prospectus Directive and the Securitisation and Capital Adequacy Directive.

European Leadership in the Digital Economy

Europe is falling further and further behind the United States and China, particularly in the areas of data economy and cloud computing. A cepStudy commissioned by the software provider SAP identifies three priorities and proposes seventeen detailed recommendations for policy measures that will enable the EU to take a leading role in the digital economy.

Reducing CO2 Emissions in Maritime Traffic

For the first time, the EU wants to take measures to reduce CO₂ emissions from maritime transport. The first part of a two-part cepInput takes stock of the current climate policy situation at global and EU level and assesses the impact of possible measures.

Quotes

"Especially for Germany as a country in the middle of Europe it is important that the borders remain open, that there is a functioning economy and that we fight the pandemic together".
Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel

"By driving up inflation, the ECB is granting relief for euro countries with high national debt. Because the higher the monetary devaluation, the more the national debt is devalued, so that repayment is all the easier".

Lüder Gerken, President of cep

"Encouraging work-based learning goes hand in hand with need-driven training and may also have a positive impact on growth and employment in the medium to long term."

cep expert Karen Rudolph about the EU's plans to modernize Vocational Education

Facts

EU external trade balance remains stable even under Corona conditions

The EU member states are maintaining their export surpluses even in the face of the economic downturn caused by Corona. In August 2020 the EU even reports a positive balance in trade with the rest of the world of 14.7 billion euros, a slight increase compared to the same month last year. Nonetheless, both exports and imports have suffered a noticeable slump of around 12%.

(Source: Eurostat)

And finally

Source: @voxeuropFR/Twitter

The cepNewsletter is published every first Wednesday of the month.

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Quotes: Federal Government of Germany (Merkel) / cep (Gerken, Rudolph)
And finally: voxeuropFR/Twitter
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