The Environmental Protection Directive Proposal has been tasked to the Commission for consideration.
State Secretary Britta Behrendt Departs Senate Department
State Secretary Britta Behrendt, who has been serving as the head of the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection, and Environment, is set to leave her post at the end of the month. This departure may leave a significant gap in the house of CDU transport and environment senator Ute Bonde.
Behrendt's tenure in the Senate Department has been marked by a mix of praise and criticism. On one hand, she is praised for her move to suspend the long-criticized way of managing Berlin's forests. On the other hand, her work did not fulfill all environmental associations' wishes, and her interest in environmental and climate protection was often questioned.
Despite her limited involvement in environmental and climate protection matters, Behrendt's departure may not lead to a nullity in the components "climate protection and environment" in the name of the Senate administration. This is because her departure comes at a time when the area of environment and climate protection is said to be unimportant to senator Ute Bonde, who comes from the transport industry.
However, the environmental and climate protection budget has seen cuts in the past, and further cuts of more than 15% are being considered for the 2026/27 budget. This could potentially impact Berlin's climate protection policies, but specific details or analyses regarding the effects of Behrendt's leaving office on these policies are not available from the given sources.
CDU Senate chief Kai Wegner spoke of a "new boost" for climate protection in 2023, but the loss of significance of the area is likely to accelerate with Behrendt's departure. Behndert is considered reliable and someone who listens, and her departure may be a loss for Berlin.
Environmental associations, who are usually critical of the Senate's policy, are satisfied with Behrendt's work. Her departure may make it difficult for senator Bonde to find a suitable replacement, as she is praised for her reliability and approachability.
As the state election of the House of Representatives is just over a year away, the impact of Behrendt's departure on Berlin's climate protection policies and the Senate Department remains to be seen. Those seeking planning security may find themselves in the wrong place as the political landscape continues to evolve.
[1] Please note that the search results mention Britta Behrendt as the State Secretary for the Environment and Climate in Berlin as of mid-2025, indicating her active role in climate-related matters but without addressing any departure or its consequences. If further information is needed, it might require consulting recent Berlin government statements or news updates beyond these results.
- The departure of State Secretary Britta Behrendt, who oversaw climate protection and environment, may create a void in the Senate Department's focus on climate-change, as her approachability and reliability were appreciated by environmental associations.
- In light of State Secretary Britta Behrendt's departure, the general news has raised concerns about the future of environmental-science and climate-change policy-and-legislation, given the past and proposed budget cuts in the area.
- State Secretary Britt Behrendt's tenure, marked by her suspending the contentious forest management, occurred at a time when politics had diminished the importance of environmental and climate protection matters, as indicated by Senator Ute Bonde's background in the transport industry.
