The German delegation was composed of Chancellor Merkel, the Minister of Economics and Energy Altmaier, Federal Minister for the Environment Schulze and the Minister of Finance Scholz. They were welcomed in the Hague by the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte along with the Interior Minister Ollongren, the Minister for Finance Hoekstra, Minister of Economics and Climate Wiebes and the Minister for Infrastructures Van Veldhoven.

The agenda of the meeting was long but definitely worth it. The outcome? Concrete plans and a stronger alliance between Germany and the Netherlands for the safeguarding of the planet and climate. Potential joint climate and energy projects and co-operations have been identified, also in preparation for the next UN Climate Change Conference to be held in December, in Chile.

Climate policies of both countries have been discussed in depth. Both Germany and the Netherlands intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. To reach the goal the possibility of putting a price on CO2 emissions was taken into consideration.  

Merkel and Rutte agreed to cooperate to advance climate action at EU level. A concrete proposal is to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in the European Union to 55% of the 1990 levels by 2030. This will also contribute to the goal of the new President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to make the EU climate neutral by 2050.

• - https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/klimakabinett-1663420
• - https://www.niederlandeweltweit.nl/aktuelles/nachrichten/2019/08/16/niederlandisch-deutsche-tagung-zum-thema-klimawandel