Politics

Merkel’s Would-Be Heir Faces Lawsuit Over State Climate Policies

  • North Rhine-Westphalia among states targeted by young people
  • Armin Laschet’s administration accused of watering down rules
Armin LaschetPhotographer: Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz/Bloomberg
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Armin Laschet’s administration in North Rhine-Westphalia was sued over claims it’s failing to do enough to combat climate change, a test of the environmental credentials of the front-runner to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor.

The case brought by two juveniles and two young adults is one of a series of suits against three German states and backed by environmental group DUH. Laschet’s government watered down a climate law last week by removing nearly all instruments that had a clear deadline and would ensure targets are met, Remo Klinger, a lawyer for DUH, told reporters in Berlin on Monday.