MEPs voiced their disappointment at the outcome of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, during a debate at European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg on Thursday 27 November. Most were particularly critical of the lack of leadership shown by the EU, and more specifically the European Commission, during the negotiations.
For MEPs from across the political spectrum, the EU’s main shortcomings were a lack of coordination and consistency. Mohammed Chahim (S&D, Dutch) believes that this inconsistency directly contributed to the problems encountered in Brazil.
“We cannot ask our partners to halt deforestation and then delay adopting the regulation against imported deforestation (see EUROPE 13760/1). We cannot demand more mitigation while trying to water down the Climate Law (see EUROPE 13749/7)”, he said.
Moving away from fossil fuels. From the left to the centre-right of the Chamber, many deplored the impossibility of recognising the move away from fossil fuels (see EUROPE 13758/6).
European Commissioner for Climate Wopke Hoekstra himself expressed regret that the COP’s final compromise text, ‘Global Mutirão’, made no mention of this.
“Due to resistance from a fairly large group, the very idea of the Brazilian Presidency to draw up a ‘roadmap’ and include it in the main text did not succeed, and this is of course regrettable”, he conceded.
Remarks at the G20. Comments made by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the G20 summit in South Africa on 21 November particularly irritated a number of MEPs.
She said that the EU was not fighting “fossil fuels themselves, but the emissions they produce”.
For Emma Wiesner (Renew Europe, Swedish), these comments are “outrageous” and “undermine” climate negotiations.
European diplomacy. Like others, Ms Wiesner felt that the block was “disorganised”. In contrast, Lídia Pereira (EPP, Portuguese) felt that the COP had been “a great victory for multilateralism” and that Europe had continued to show leadership.
For Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Dutch), it is essential that the EU do more to improve its climate diplomacy within and outside the COP.
He also believes that the current configuration of this international forum is “too long, too legal and too technical”. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)