New Commission to take urgent action on climate protection

With a month's delay, the new European Commission has finally taken office on 1 December. One of the most important projects of the new legislative period is the “Green Deal”, which aims to make Europe the first continent to become climate-neutral by 2050. According to the new Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the plan will be presented on 11 December and contain concrete measures for the next five years.

One focus of the “Green Deal” is going to be the circular economy. It is set to contain a new action plan that is considerably more ambitious in scope than its predecessor from the previous legislative period. Possible measures include a revision of the eco-design provisions or a strengthening of the circular economy in sectors such as the textile or the construction industry. However, measures such as those recently proposed by the Council of the European Union could also be included. Among other things, the Council has called on the European Commission to strengthen the principle of extended producer responsibility and to swiftly implement the revision of the Battery Directive.

The new European Commission consisting of Ursula von der Leyen and her 26-member cabinet was officially confirmed by the European Parliament on 27 November.