EU approves robust mandates ahead of key UN climate, biodiversity summits

At COP29 in Baku, Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra will lead the EU negotiating team, with talks primarily focusing on financing the green transition through the adoption of a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance.

As the Commissioner mentioned in last night's press conference, the EU will also seek to ensure that countries around the world are implementing the historical decision made at last year's COP28 in Dubai, Caliber.Az reports citing the European Commission. 

This decision focuses on transitioning away from fossil fuels, tripling renewable energy capacity, and doubling energy efficiency improvements by 2030—the so-called UAE consensus.

Negotiators will aim to maintain last year's political momentum on reducing emissions, in particular in setting the framework for the next round of national climate targets – known as Nationally Determined Contributions - which are due for adoption in 2025, ahead of COP30.

The Council Conclusions adopted on October 14 also set out the EU's conditions for concluding the negotiations under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on the rules for international carbon markets, which should ensure transparency and environmental integrity while contributing to emission reductions.

The EU will also continue to ensure progress on adaptation policies and boosting global resilience to climate change.

The Council conclusions on the COP16 Biodiversity Conference confirm the EU's commitment to the full and swift implementation of the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework. The EU will work towards agreements on key issues including biodiversity mainstreaming in other policies until 2030, capacity-building and evidence-based policy making, and strengthening synergies between climate action and biodiversity.

It will also push for advancements on sharing the benefits from genetic resources and mobilisation of resources for biodiversity. The EU recently submitted its specific Global Biodiversity Framework targets and COP16 will be the first major stocktaking opportunity since the historic agreement at COP15. 

The Council also adopted conclusions on the upcoming COP16 under the UN Convention for Combating Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which will be important for strengthening implementation and deciding on the global response to address droughts. 

By Aghakazim Guliyev