Impact of the Coronacrisis on Germany's Transition to a Climate-neutral Economy

Abstract

The author continues the study of the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the economic and political space of Germany. The second article outlines the features of the double transition ‒ energy and digital ‒ to a climate-neutral economy. Germany is carrying it out within the framework of the European Green Deal, the adoption of which almost coincided with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus crisis has become a catalyst for the transformation processes in the field of energy and digitalization, many of which Berlin began to implement long before the onset of its consequences. Lockdowns have led to a reduction in industry's primary energy and electricity consumption, motivated businesses to relocate employees to home-based work, and accelerate the introduction of new digital technologies. The coronavirus crisis has become a challenge for government departments, healthcare institutions, secondary and higher education, which management and employees were not ready for a quick use of distance technologies. The author analyzes the structural policy of the coalition government, the contribution of German-French initiatives and projects to the implementation of the double transition in the field of energy, cloud technologies and artificial intelligence, assesses the role of a new Climate Protection Law