Merkel and Macron: The darn thing with the CO2 border tax

the focus of the first personal meeting of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron after the outbreak of the Corona-pandemic state on Monday, the management of the economic crisis. Macron had, however, set a different theme on the Agenda of the meeting in the Guesthouse of the German government in Meseberg: the introduction of a CO2 border tax.

Hendrik Kafsack

economic correspondent in Brussels.

The French government intrudes for a long time on the introduction of such a mechanism, in order to prevent "climate dumping". You should prevent companies from Non-EU States, which have no or only low climate, the European producers.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has taken up this idea already last summer prior to her election by the European Parliament. You should make according to the plans of the Commission also contribute to the financing of the planned Corona-reconstruction package.

The Federal government has reacted so far been cautious. In this respect, it was quite remarkable that Merkel said after the Meeting that it was a "common Position, that we need such a tax". If the EU's ambitious climate goals, "then we must protect ourselves from those who would import products harmful to the climate or much more emission of CO2 to us, which harm the climate more." Although Merkel does not state that it was "completely trivial" to bring such a tax in accordance with the rules of the world trade organization (WTO).