The ministers shared a view that Europe must put the Green Deal at the forefront of its plans to revive the economy after the coronavirus, the Slovenian Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning said in a press release on Tuesday.

As a trio of the EU presiding countries from 1 July 2020 until the end of 2021, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia have drafted a common 18-month programme of priorities.

Their priorities in climate change are adopting a European climate law, setting national contributions to the EU's climate goals and launching talks on 2030 emission reduction targets.

As for circular economy, the ministers believe the burning issue of product policy should be addressed, including waste treatment, which should also be viewed from the aspect of an important source of raw materials.

In biodiversity, the priority is to implement the goals from the EU's new Biodiversity Strategy.

Vizjak stressed that the trio would have to make an effort to clearly define the path and steps to implement the goals that had been set at the EU level, which applies especially to the climate and biodiversity goals.

As for the circular economy, he believes the role of a well-functioning market of raw materials should be addressed, including by using waste to generate energy.