COP 26 AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

The 27 members of the European Union meet in private to agree on common negotiating positions. The Party that holds the EU Presidency then speaks for the European Union and its 27 member states. The European Union itself is a Party to the Convention. However, it does not have a separate vote from its members.

The European Union will aim to convince other countries to raise their climate ambition at the COP26. With its Climate Law agreed earlier this year, and concrete plans to cut emissions 55% by 2030, the EU will go to COP26 with the status of global leader on climate change.

The EU and its 27 member states are already the largest contributor to climate finance, with more than $25 billion per year and is pledging a top-up of $5 billion till 2027, expecting others also to increase the ambition.

In Glasgow, the EU will take part in a series of initiatives aimed at building trust with other major emitters and developing countries.

• First is the Global Methane Pledge: The EU-US pledge aims to reduce methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030.
• Second is a financial contribution of €1 billion to the Global Forest pledge, which includes €250 million for the Congo Basin.
• Third, is an initiative on innovation: The idea is to scale up markets for technologies such as green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuels, CCS, and energy storage technologies.
• Fourth, is a just energy transition partnership with South Africa. Led by the US, the UK, Germany and France, the partnership will help South Africa phase out coal earlier and speed up the deployment of renewables.