Dossier

Green Ideas for the Future of Europe

Conversations on the occasion of Germany's EU Council Presidency 2020

On 1 July 2020, Germany took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months. Given the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Presidency will face major challenges. The new recovery instrument “Next Generation EU” and the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027) will be negotiated in and between the institutions, with the European Green Deal at the centre. Germany must do all in its power to encourage the Member States to work together in solidarity and to find common ways out of the crisis while rendering decisive aid and support in and outside the EU.

Our dossier covers Green proposals and initiatives on key priorities for the European Green Deal, the future of the EU and the role of the EU in the world. Through conversations with Green decision makers and civil society actors, we would like to contribute to a profound debate about the consequences of the pandemic and the future of the European project.

The online conversations were held between April and June 2020.

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Green Ideas for the Future of Europe - Publication

Interviews

Through 20 conversations with Green decision makers and civil society actors, held prior to Germany's EU Council Presidency, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung has striven to contribute to a profound debate about the consequences of the pandemic and the future of the European project.

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Key Green Ideas for the Future of Europe

Key Green Ideas for the Future of Europe

Policy recommendations

In the context of the Covid-19 crisis, the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union faces major challenges. Considering that the conditions and circumstances will constantly change, and that the EU will face increasing uncertainty and unpredictability, we need to reflect on how it should respond to vital challenges in the long term.

By Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union

European Responses

European Responses to Multiple Crises

The way the Covid-19 pandemic has been dealt with has raised many questions for the future of the European project. How have the EU institutions and Member States managed the crisis so far? What challenges will coincide with the German EU Council Presidency in terms of crisis management and the future of the EU?

By Eva van de Rakt

The European Green Deal

Man in the colorful field

Reform of EU Agriculture Policy and Biodiversity Protection

How will the plans for the European Green Deal alter European agriculture policy? What needs to happen for Europe to pursue climate- and biodiversity-friendly agriculture that creates a rural landscape that people want to live in? And what is the role of diets and trade in all this?

By Dr. Christine Chemnitz

The Future of the EU

Rule of Law

Safeguarding the Rule of Law in EU Member States

In recent years, the rule of law has been dismantled in the EU, especially in Hungary and Poland. Who and which measures can guarantee safeguarding democracy and citizen's rights? And how will the situation develop in Europe?

By Joanna Maria Stolarek and Gert Röhrborn

The EU’s Role in the World

Map of Africa and Europe connected with the yellow line

EU-Africa: A close and intense relationship

The need for equal EU-African relations, the importance of recognising the historical background and what Europe can learn from Africa.

By Claudia Simons

EGD & Digitalisation

The European Green Deal and Digitalisation

Will the EU witness a Digital Green Deal? Strengths and weaknesses of the digital age have become more apparent over the course of the pandemic, but how can policy makers address these challenges and interlink them with a comprehensive and ambitious ecological approach?

Conf Future of Europe

Green Ideas: Conference on the Future of Europe

The Conference on the Future of Europe was supposed to allow citizens to get involved to identify priorities for a more democratic, sustainable and efficient EU. However, political conditions have changed dramatically since the pandemic.

By Dr. Christine Pütz

EU-China relations

Between cooperation and systemic rivalry: The EU-China Relations

How will EU-China relations look like in the future? Which priorities need to be set? Opportunities for the German EU Council Presidency.

By Katrin Altmeyer, Reinhard Bütikofer and Dr Janka Oertel

EGD & Mobility

The European Green Deal and the Future of Mobility

Transport is one of the sectors that were hit the hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. Can the German EU Council Presidency find a way out of the crisis and boost sustainable mobility for Europe?

By Dr. Jens Althoff

The EU's Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy

The EU's Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy

Expectations for the German EU-Council Presidency on EU-Enlargement in the Western Balkans. From previous disappointments and disorganisation to the desire for stability and peace in the region.

By Walter Kaufmann

EU Trade Policy

EU Trade Policy: More Transparency, Environmental and Climate Protection!

Trade policy as an instrument of climate and environmental protection? What would be the effects of a supply chain law?

Gender Diversity

The European Green Deal and Gender Diversity

Is the European Green Deal gender blind? How can the EU deal with the danger of a backlash on gender equality in the face of pandemic and the subsequent economic crisis? Which ways forward are there to better connect the feminist and climate movements?

By Dr Ines Kappert

Post-Brexit: What Future for the EU-UK Relationship?

Post-Brexit: What Future for the EU-UK Relationship?

To which extent is the coronavirus pandemic having an impact on the current Brexit negotiations? Is Brexit one of the priorities for the German Council Presidency? And what is the outlook on the future EU-UK relationship in the next decade(s)?

By Florian Christl

EU migration policy

The EU Migration Policy: More Solidarity Is Needed!

Looking ahead to the future of the EU asylum system, what is the impact of Covid-19 on solidarity within the European Union? A debate on the dysfunctionality and possible solutions.

By Anna Schwarz

Social Dimension & EGD

The Social Dimension of the European Green Deal

How to prevent unemployment while phasing out fossil fuels as fast as possible? Is the ecological and social transformation a priority in the crisis recovery? Which mechanisms can help to leave no one behind in the transition?

By Marc Berthold

Digital Policy

The EU’s Digital Policy

How did the coronavirus impact digital rights, the introduction of contact tracing apps, as well as the daily use of digital tools and artificial intelligence. What does this mean for current and future policy?

By Zora Siebert

EU’s Role in the Middle East

The EU has to speak with one voice: its Role in the Middle East

A debate on the US-influence, Covid-19, restricted individual freedoms and the question how the EU should define its role.

By Dr. Bente Scheller

EGD & MFF

The European Green Deal and the Multiannual Financial Framework

How to meet financial needs that live up to the European Green Deal and support economic recovery? Which mechanisms can bridge new and existing divisions? What should spending priorities be?

By Lisa Tostado, Niklas Nienaß, Rasmus Andresen and Patrick ten Brink

Democracy Support Outside of the EU

Democracy Support Outside of the EU

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy was adopted. What is the role of civil society and the future of EU democracy support in the context of the Covid-19 crisis?

By Dr. Cornelia Hoffmann

Facing the Climate Crisi

Facing the Climate Crisis

How does the European Green Deal respond to the climate emergency? What are its strenghts and weaknesses? What main economic and political barriers have to be overcome to reach higher ambitions?

By Lisa Tostado

Multilateralism

The Future of Multilateralism

How does the current pandemic influence multilateralism? Which role can the European Union play in shaping its future? A debate.

By Bastian Hermisson

Related topics

Awakening

Awakening for Europe in Times of Crisis

Germany’s turn to chair the Presidency of the Council of the EU for a half-year term from July 1st, 2020 onwards, arrives directly in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Council Presidency as a chance? Germany’s new role for the EU Council Presidency

On July 1st, Germany will take over the EU Council Presidency in midst the Corona pandemic. This presents opportunities for Germany to redefine its European policy. How does Germany perceive its role in the European Union and what are the expectations of other member states for the German Council Presidency?

By Claudia Rothe

A German EU Presidency cannot succeed without France

Europe could still emerge from the pandemic crisis sustainably positioned and strengthened, but only if the Franco-German tandem works. The plans for a reconstruction fund of 500 billion euros mark a turnaround in the right direction.

By Dr. Jens Althoff

A critical point for EU–UK relations: The British perspective on the German Council Presidency

Britain is in the midst of finalising the Brexit transition process while also being hit especially hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. The German Council Presidency has to protect public health all over Europe while also preventing another financial crisis from happening. But this might also give new momentum to systemic change towards a more sustainable economy.

By Molly Scot Cato

Europe needs a Real Green Deal!

The German government must fight for a Real Green Deal for Europe that combines economy and ecology and sets the course for a socio-ecological market economy. Dr. Ellen Ueberschär describes what that could look like.

By Dr. Ellen Ueberschär

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