Germany is considering whether to support a minimum EU ETS price among various options for strengthening the bloc’s carbon market, a source at Germany’s environment ministry said on Friday.

Newswires this week quoted a draft document saying the German government favours an emissions market that may “include the adoption of a Europe-wide minimum price to set a sufficiently strong price signal”.

The source told Carbon Pulse on Friday that subsequent drafts had been produced and that Germany was still considering putting forward ETS-strengthening options.  Last month a ministry spokesman said his department was willing to consider additional reforms but that the government favours supply-side measures.

The work on Germany’s 2050 climate plan is still being worked on by environment ministry officials, and would need approval by Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks as a first step in getting full government sign-off this summer.

Hendricks has not yet even seen a draft version, the source added.

Germany also intends to give its position on the European Commission’s proposal for post-2020 ETS revisions in time for a June discussion of all EU environment ministers at the EU Council.

By Ben Garside – ben@carbon-pulse.com