EU to push for accelerated global climate action at COP31

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

At the COP31 UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9-20 November, the European Union will work with international partners to accelerate global climate action and deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement. Amidst growing geopolitical and energy security challenges, the socio-economic rationale is becoming even stronger for clean electrification, the deployment of clean and renewable energy sources and technologies, transitioning away from fossil fuels, and mobilising investment.

This year’s conference is an opportunity to pursue concrete action to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the outcome of its first Global Stocktake. It should also demonstrate the momentum behind the global clean energy transition. The EU will continue acting as a reliable and ambitious partner that delivers at home, and drives cooperation and decarbonisation abroad. The Union’s direction of travel is clear: continue its efforts on mitigation and adaptation, advance the clean energy transition and achieve climate neutrality by mid-century.

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “This summer the devastating impact of climate change was once again on full display. As we stand at a global tipping point, Europe is more committed than ever to leading by example, at home and globally. We remain on track to become the first climate-neutral continent. We are supporting electrification worldwide. We are mobilising climate finance so everyone can reap the benefits of the clean energy transition. We are committed to making this COP deliver.”

The Electrify Now global campaign, launched earlier this year by the Commission and international partners, will pursue work at COP31 with other governments and stakeholders aiming to drive the clean energy transition and electrification. As Co-Chair of the Open Coalition on Compliance Carbon Markets unveiled at COP30, the EU will further promote carbon pricing as an effective tool for reducing emissions and stimulating investment. Through the Climate Club and alongside the Turkish COP31 Presidency, the EU will also advance work on green industrialisation, and a number of other plurilateral initiatives will also demonstrate that ‘coalitions of the willing’, involving the EU and its Member States, are accelerating action on the ground.

The Commission recently presented an EU Framework for Climate Resilience to strengthen Europe’s ability to anticipate, prepare for, and manage climate risks domestically. It is also essential to work with our partners across the world to boost resilience and preparedness, in particular with regions and communities that are most affected by climate change. In Antalya, the EU negotiating team will work towards operationalising the climate adaptation indicators agreed at COP30 under the UAE–Belém Framework for Global Climate Resilience, helping all countries track progress and strengthen preparedness.

Another important element for delivering the clean transition is climate finance. In 2025, the EU and its Member States continued to be the world’s largest provider of public climate finance, providing €32.3 billion from public sources and mobilising an additional €9.3 billion of private finance to support partner countries in reducing their GHG emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change. At COP31, the EU will focus on implementation of the New Collective Quantified Goal, calling for engagement from all actors within and beyond the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with particular attention to the needs of Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. The EU will also insist on basing all decisions on the best available science and will work on the operationalisation of the Belém Just Transition Mechanism enabling fair and inclusive transitions.

Members of the College at COP31

On Wednesday, 11 November, President von der Leyen will participate in the opening session of the Antalya Leaders’ Summit. Later that day, the President will take part in the opening ceremony of the High-Level Segment for the Heads of State and Government of COP31. In a speech in the following plenary session, she will outline the EU’s climate priorities and commitments.

Commissioner for Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth, Wopke Hoekstra, will once again lead the EU negotiating team at COP31, working closely with the Irish Council Presidency and Member States to deliver on the negotiating mandate adopted in October.

Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, will attend on 13-14 November to officially launch the Climate Action Plan of the Union for the Mediterranean and related climate initiatives under the Pact for the Mediterranean. On 16-18 November, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis will take part in the UNEP high-level event on the Ocean-Climate nexus ‘A Living, Climate-Resilient Mediterranean’ and other side events on the OceanEye International Alliance, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the Arctic. On 16-17 November, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall will attend events related to plastic pollution and water resilience. Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, will also attend from 10-12 November, attending the COP31 Energy Ministerial and several ministerial and high-level meetings on electrification, methane, energy efficiency and the transition away from fossil fuels.

EU Pavilion and side events

The EU will host a dedicated EU Pavilion for the first time since COP28, organising almost 40 side events. These will showcase EU climate action, support for the clean transition, and cover a wide range of topics from clean tech and climate resilience to energy security, finance and environmental protection. The EU Pavilion will be jointly hosted by the Commission and the Irish Council Presidency, and all EU Member State pavilions will be integrated in the same area, forming an ‘EU village’.

Background

The EU is firmly committed to the Paris Agreement, having already cut its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 40% since 1990 and grown its economy by almost 70%. The EU is making steady progress towards its commitment to cut GHG emissions by at least 55% by 2030, by 90% by 2040, and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. In 2025, the EU submitted an ambitious new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to reduce net GHG emissions by 66.25 – 72.5 % below 1990 levels by 2035. In the EU, the transition is supported by a robust package of domestic legislation and incentives at European and national level, including the expansion of carbon pricing, renewable energy and energy efficiency targets, clean transport rules, the Social Climate Fund, and financial support from the EU and national budgets.

For more information

EU negotiating mandate for COP31

2025 international climate finance – Team Europe contribution

EU at COP31 UN Climate Change Conference

EU at COP31 Side Events Programme

COP31 UN Climate Change Conference

European Climate Law

President and Commissioners’ calendar at COP31