Belém — As leaders converge on Belém for COP30, the European Union enters the summit with one of the most comprehensive climate packages ever presented — a plan to align global action with the Paris Agreement while deepening financial and industrial cooperation.
“The global clean transition is ongoing and irreversible,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the World Leaders’ Summit. “It is our priority to ensure that this transition is fair, inclusive, and equitable.”
Europe’s new 2035 milestone
At the center of the EU COP30 climate commitment is its newly adopted Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which aims to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by 66.25% to 72.5% by 2035 compared with 1990 levels. The target forms a critical bridge between the bloc’s 2030 goal of –55% and its proposed 2040 goal of –90%, ensuring a steady trajectory toward climate neutrality by 2050.
The EU will use COP30 to push for stronger global coordination on emissions reduction and energy transition, calling for a collective response to close ambition and implementation gaps. Priorities include accelerating the rollout of renewables, doubling the global rate of energy-efficiency gains, and finalizing follow-up actions from the Global Stocktake and COP28 commitments.
Turning frameworks into action
European negotiators, led by Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, will focus on advancing two major technical frameworks: the UAE–Belém Framework for Global Climate Resilience, which defines adaptation indicators to track preparedness, and the Baku to Belém Roadmap, designed to scale climate finance for developing countries.
The EU supports the Roadmap’s call to mobilize $1.3 trillion in climate finance annually by 2035, emphasizing that success will depend on participation from both public and private capital. The bloc and its Member States contributed €31.7 billion in public funding and mobilised €11 billion in private finance in 2024, maintaining their position as the world’s largest public climate finance provider.
Building markets and industrial competitiveness
Beyond finance, the EU’s COP30 agenda underscores the role of carbon markets and clean industry in achieving long-term climate goals. Brussels backs the launch of the Open Coalition for Compliance Carbon Markets, which will convene countries implementing or planning carbon-pricing systems.
During the high-level meetings, President von der Leyen will join a Roundtable on Industry Decarbonisation, focusing on how to transition heavy industry toward clean energy sources while preserving competitiveness. Other senior officials — including Commissioners Teresa Ribera, Kadri Simson, and Ditte Juul Jørgensen — will lead discussions on local leadership, methane reduction, and the global energy transition.
A fair transition, globally tested
Since 1990, the EU has cut emissions by 37% while expanding its economy by nearly 70% — a record it highlights as proof that growth and decarbonisation can advance together. Yet officials acknowledge that global cooperation faces renewed strain, and that trust between developed and developing economies will hinge on tangible finance flows and measurable adaptation progress.
As COP30 opens in the heart of the Amazon, the EU’s approach blends ambition with accountability: pairing hard targets with frameworks for delivery. The test in Belém will be whether these promises translate into a clean transition that remains both global in ambition and equitable in outcome — the essence of the Paris Agreement a decade on.
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