Von der Leyen demands more ambition from other countries

Brussels, Berlin “This decade is about all or nothing”: With urgent words, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the other major nations to step up efforts to protect the climate. In a guest article for the Handelsblatt, von der Leyen describes the international climate summit, which begins next week in Glasgow, as a “moment of truth”: “Similar to Europe, the other large economies must also explain in concrete terms how they want to achieve their goals.”

Von der Leyen sees the EU as a global pioneer, which countries such as the USA, Japan, South Korea and South Africa have since followed suit. “They are all committed to binding climate targets,” writes the head of the commission. That is good, but not enough: “It is just as important to support these goals with concrete projects.”