The climate protection programme of the EU and the German government: The risks of temporarily overshooting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C global warming target is high, even with immediate action. The EU Green Deal conveys Europe’s ambition to align with the Paris Agreement. The EU’s central objective is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Beyond the transition to a net-zero economy, the bloc strives to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits during the second half of the century. If sufficiently deployed, global warming could be halted - and even reversed - through net negative emissions. Delivering on the EU’s climate targets will require effective implementation of the Green Deal – particularly at the national level. Beyond 2030, institutional reforms will be essential to sustain progress towards climate neutrality and net negative. Moreover, the EU should prioritize international collaboration, partnering with other countries to address climate change on a global scale.