Habeck: Germany aligns trade policy with climate protection Maurice Thiriet becomes director of watson

In view of the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis, Germany wants to refocus its trade policy. The government is also looking for new partners in Asia – and wants to be less dependent on China.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck called the coalition’s agreement on a trade policy realignment and an exit from a controversial energy deal a milestone. “We consistently align our trade policy with climate protection,” the Green politician said in Singapore on Saturday. The agreement is a clear signal that the coalition wants to strengthen trade and partnerships based on fairness and sustainability. Habeck attends an Asia-Pacific conference of German companies in Singapore.

Habeck called the withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty logical. The agreement has long been criticized by the Greens and environmental groups. For example, it allows investors to sue states before arbitration tribunals. Katharina Dröge, leader of the Green Party, had said that no other trade or investment agreement had provoked more investor complaints than the Energy Charter Treaty. No other agreement was more damaging to the climate. She spoke of a “big signal” parallel to the world climate conference in Egypt.

Partnerships with Chile and Mexico

Habeck said that in order to strengthen trade ties, partnerships that enable free and fair trade with Chile and Mexico must be quickly established. In addition, the EU-Canadian Free Trade Agreement CETA should be ratified quickly and the partnership with the US should be deepened. “Especially in times of crisis, the answer is cooperation, not withdrawal.”

Members of the traffic light coalition announced on Friday that ratification of the Ceta agreement should start in a few weeks in the Bundestag. Germany should also explore with the US government whether a new attempt at a transatlantic trade deal could be made. The EU and the US have been negotiating the so-called TTIP agreement for years. Talks ground to a halt when Donald Trump took office.

An important topic at the Singapore conference is the question of how to reduce dependence on individual countries, for example for gas supplies from Russia or other raw materials from China. The People’s Republic is an important trading partner for Germany, but has been criticized for human rights violations, saber-rattling against Taiwan and its more curious approach to foreign policy. With investment guarantees, the federal government wants to create an incentive for German companies not only to be active in China. (sda/dpa)