At their EU Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 14 October, the environment ministers approved the conclusions for COP29, to be held in Baku (Azerbaijan) from 11 to 22 November.
This text, which defines the EU’s negotiating position, should constitute “a consensus that is both realistic and ambitious”, according to Hungary’s Secretary of State for Environmental Affairs, Anikó Raisz.
However, several “sensitive issues”, in particular the role of nuclear power in the energy transition, have been the subject of debate (see EUROPE 13503/12).
Several countries, including France, have called for nuclear power to be recognised as an essential low-carbon energy source in the fight against climate change, while others, such as Germany and Austria, have strongly opposed its inclusion, preferring to focus on renewable energies. These differences have led to the adoption of a text that avoids any mention of nuclear power and calls for a tripling of global renewable energy capacity and a reduction in fossil fuel subsidies, except in cases where they are intended to combat energy poverty.
At the press conference following the discussions, the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, stressed that, despite the differences, the EU was capable of negotiating with one voice. “This is a matter for the Member States”, he said, pointing out that the Commission respects the various positions while supporting the inclusion of nuclear power in the European taxonomy of green investments.
Another sticking point in the discussions is the climate target of a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, formulated by the European Commission last February. While countries such as Sweden, Germany and Austria were pushing for an explicit commitment in this direction, others, in particular Hungary, considered it premature to set a target of this kind before a more formal presentation of the proposal. In the end, the text adopted makes no reference to this recommendation.
The EU Council highlights the importance of agreeing a new collective quantified target for climate finance that is achievable and fit for purpose. It also reaffirmed its desire to set a new global target for climate finance, based on public and private contributions.
“Public finances alone will not be enough to achieve the green transition”, it says, calling for private investment to be mobilised.
Finally, the Member States want all countries, particularly the major economies, to increase their national climate contributions during the next cycle, scheduled for 2025, in order to limit the rise in temperatures to 1.5°C.
The EU Council also calls for climate action to be stepped up this decade, especially with regard to mitigating and adapting to climate change, and also reiterates its call for fossil fuels to be phased out of energy systems in a fair, orderly and equitable way.
Read the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/dwm (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)