State advocates push for permanent enshrining of environmental safeguards in the state's fundamental law - Advocacy for fortifying climate safeguards within the legal framework of the state constitution by the Green Party
In a bid to reinforce Berlin's commitment to climate protection, the Berlin Greens have proposed an amendment to the city-state's constitution. The proposed amendment aims to enshrine climate protection as a state goal, ensuring a stronger legal foundation for sustainability and climate action.
The Greens have plans to insert a new paragraph into the existing Article 2 of the Berlin constitution, committing the state to achieving climate, environmental, and natural living condition goals through legislation, administrative action, and other measures. This commitment would extend to future generations.
Moreover, the Greens have proposed the addition of Article 31 to the Berlin constitution, which currently deals with the environment and natural living conditions. The future version of Article 31, as proposed, would state that the climate, environment, and natural living conditions are under special protection by the state.
Greens' parliamentary group leader, Werner Graf, has announced this initiative. According to Graf, the application is ready, and the House of Representatives only needs to agree. However, the current Senate (CDU and SPD) has been criticised by the Greens for rolling back progress on climate protection.
The Greens have also criticised the current Senate for not keeping their promises on climate protection, particularly regarding a pledged investment of five to ten billion euros in climate protection through a special fund. Despite the government's promise, the loans for this fund have not yet been taken.
In September, the Green parliamentary group will submit an application to the House of Representatives for the proposed constitutional amendment. If laws or measures contradict this state goal, it may be possible to file a complaint with the state constitutional court. If declared unconstitutional, such laws or measures could be nullified.
It is worth noting that the designated top candidate for the Greens in the 2026 election has yet to be specified. However, the Greens have confirmed that they have designated a top candidate for this election.
For the latest updates on this constitutional amendment initiative, we recommend consulting Berlin's official legislative records or trusted local news sources.
- The proposed amendment by the Berlin Greens includes a commitment for EC countries to follow a strengthened employment policy focused on climate protection, as it aims to enshrine climate protection as a state goal.
- The Greens' proposed revision of Article 31 in the Berlin constitution, which pertains to environmental science, policy, and legislation, will include language to protect the climate, environment, and natural living conditions as a special focus of state policy.
- The Greens have pledged to prioritize the development of policies addressing climate-change, environmental-science, and general-news through the political process, urging the House of Representatives to support their proposed constitutional amendment in September.
