Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks commented: “The EU has made a commitment to an ambitious climate target under the Paris Agreement. It is important to me that no one is left behind in the implementation process. We are creating the pre-conditions necessary to ensure this with the European Climate Initiative. The initiative will help further intensify cooperation among EU member states and establish climate action as a linking element in Europe.”

Exchanges on good practices in climate action and climate policy dialogues with EU member countries will be intensified through bilateral and multilateral projects. Projects eligible for funding will include, among others, cooperation projects in which national climate and energy plans are drawn up, climate action city partnerships are established or concrete greenhouse gas reductions are initiated in businesses or schools. Target groups of the European Climate Initiative projects are governments, municipalities, educational institutes and actors from civil society, the scientific community and industry, particularly from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe.

In addition, the Federal Environment Ministry will be launching projects under the initiative through tendering processes. Project plans include fact-finding trips to learn about German climate and energy policy, enter into discussion, clear up misunderstandings and stimulate debates.

Press report of Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Security (BMU), 26 April 2017