On Thursday 10 June, the Environment Ministers of the European Union Member States unanimously adopted the draft conclusions of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council on the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change.
“We are pleased that the EU Council has today endorsed the new EU climate adaptation strategy which (...) will help the EU to become climate-resilient”, reacted the Portuguese Minister for Environment and Climate Action, João Pedro Matos Fernandes.
Aimed at providing political guidance to the European Commission regarding the implementation of the adaptation strategy presented on 24 February (see EUROPE 12665/4), the EU Council conclusions underline, in particular, the link between climate and water, given the numerous risks linked to the hydrological system (sea level rise, floods, water shortages, droughts, melting glaciers, etc.)
The EU Council also stresses the importance of not neglecting nature-based solutions to build resilience to climate change, while helping to maintain or enhance biodiversity and protect and restore ecosystems. This point was mentioned by several ministers during the debate preceding the adoption of the conclusions.
The conclusions also recognise the need to strengthen international action, reconfirming the commitment of the EU and Member States to step up the mobilisation of international climate finance. They also provide guidance for the EU Communication on Adaptation to Climate Change, which will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) before the COP26.
Other major points of the conclusions underlined by several ministers were the integration of adaptation into all European public policies, the importance of moving quickly to the implementation of concrete measures and the need to act at all levels (European, international, national and local).
See the conclusions: https://bit.ly/3cuFvHM (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)