EU at the COP31 climate conference: powering up partnerships for multilateralism
The COP31 climate conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change began in Antalya, Türkiye on 9 November. COP31 comes during an energy crisis, a worsening climate crisis, decreasing development assistance and geopolitical tensions. The world is breaching the 1.5°C warming limit, while fossil fuel disruptions are raising the cost of living in what is anyhow a strained geopolitical atmosphere. The two-weeks conference will show whether the implementation of climate action can be sped up to respond to the energy crisis and the worsening climate ‘overshoot’ beyond safe temperature limits.
The Turkish COP31 Presidency underlines the wish for Türkiye and Antalya to be a bridge between Global North and South. Turkey convened almost a 100 world leaders, including Commission President von der Leyen, for the High-Level segment of the COP, demonstrating wide multilateral support for climate action.
The energy crisis has already shifted the calculation for the many public and private actors present at the COP who recognise the strategic benefits of domestically produced, affordable, clean energy. States and civil society are looking for pragmatic initiatives to drive action, which at COP runs under the so-called ‘Action Agenda’. Türkiye is advocating for a global pledge for 35% electrification by 2035, which is already being supported by various parties around the world and from the EU Commission. The EU’s ‘Electrify Now’ initiative strongly supports this focus on electrification as next step for the clean transition.
European climate diplomacy is actively reaching out to partners. Over the last weeks, EU Delegations around the world contacted their host governments on the benefits of the clean transition and strategic priorities ahead of the climate conference. The result show an overwhelming support for the need to act on climate change and the benefits of renewable energy. Most countries are looking to diversify and reduce their fossil fuel exposure and advance their clean transition, including through EU-funded projects under Global Gateway. This pragmatism needs to be translated into multilateral commitments and implementation. Ahead of COP, the EU worked with the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States to release a joint statement outlining our joint hopes for an ambitious climate conference.
On the ground in Antalya, an EU pavilion is surrounded for the first time by an ‘EU village’ of EU Member State pavilions which highlight specific climate action. Here, the EU is showcasing its offer for cooperation to the world. The Apart from the formal negotiations, the EEAS together with the European Commission are representing the EU in various events run with partners: from Ukraine’s clean recovery of its energy system, coalitions of the willing preparing for the security risks of climate impacts, the geoeconomic business case for clean independence, to showcasing EU-funded action on grids in Africa, methane emissions or climate displacement. With the help of EU Delegations worldwide linking us up, the EU team on the ground is bilaterally meeting third countries to listen and to convey EU priorities – working to leverage our partnerships for multilateral success.