At the informal meeting of the environment ministers of the Member States of the European Union in Dublin on Friday 24 July (see EUROPE 13916/1), one discussion session was devoted to European diplomacy at conferences organised by the UN, particularly with a view to COP17 on desertification in August and COP31 on climate in November.
According to an EU Council source, at COP30 in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, the EU realised that it had not sufficiently anticipated what the absence of the United States, the EU’s historic partner, would mean during the international climate negotiations. That COP, which was supposed to be one of “implementation”, did not lead to any major new decisions because of the ‘sabotage’ by oil-producing countries, in particular Saudi Arabia (see EUROPE 13757/1).
As part of preparations for COP31, which will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, the EU environment ministers are considering joining forces with new partners beyond the traditional small island states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs). Indeed, according to that source, the EU could seek partners within the Indian, Chinese and Saudi delegations, as well as within the group of Arab countries (22 states) and African countries (54 states), particularly to address the difficult issue of climate finance.
A more strategic, more direct and clearer approach should be developed by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU ahead of COP31, according to the same source.
Climate finance, a recurring stumbling block at COPs. “Africa accounts for 33 of the 45 least developed countries, and yet it receives only around 14% of climate finance and just 3% of private-sector investment,” said Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, who had been invited on Friday to deliver an inspiring speech on international climate diplomacy. In particular, she called on the ministers not to take short-term measures that “would considerably complicate the achievement of long-term objectives”.
From 2026, the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) committed to helping developing countries with their climate action through funding of $300 billion per year. The EU Council’s draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/n10 (Original version in French by Nadège Delépine)