Following the conclusion of the 2025 United Nations climate conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, Members of the European Parliament leading the delegation expressed disappointment over the slow progress made during the negotiations. The final agreement was reached on November 22 after discussions that took place from November 10 to 21.
Lídia Pereira (EPP, PT), chair of the European Parliament’s delegation, commented on the outcome: “At COP30, despite our persistent efforts and the European Parliament’s clear mandate on mitigation and the phase-out of fossil fuels, we faced a unified BRICS–Arab front and a Presidency unwilling to match our level of ambition, and we must regret that the final outcome did not go further. Still, we secured acknowledgment of the response to the emissions gap, a high-level event on implementation, and progress through the Belém 1.5°C Mission, the Global Implementation Accelerator, and a plurilateral initiative on transitioning away from fossil fuels. On adaptation, finance was protected within the new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG) framework, and we achieved a recommendation to at least triple support by 2035, reinforcing solidarity with the most vulnerable. Trade elements of negotiations remained intact with an added report. And while momentum for global climate action is slower than it should be, multilateralism held, and we remain determined to push for the ambition the science demands.”
Mohammed Chahim (S&D, NL), vice-chair of the delegation, added: “The outcome of COP30 secures a very minimal basis for global climate action, but the pace remains far too insufficient to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. This result confirms that the gap between climate ambition and concrete emission reductions remains consistently large. This is not the major step the world needs now. President Lula set the bar high, and the EU came with the intention of taking the lead in a coalition of ambitious countries. However, the resistance from, among others, the oil states was too great, and the geopolitical balances have clearly shifted. Together with the United Kingdom, the EU had to row against the tide to salvage any ambition. This increasingly isolates Europe from the rest of the world. The EU must now urgently forge coalitions to prevent us from becoming isolated again in future negotiations.”
During COP30, an official European Parliament delegation attended sessions from November 17 to 21. They co-hosted two side events focused on reviewing EU climate policy and reflecting on ten years since adopting the Paris Agreement. Delegation members also engaged in discussions with ministers from other countries as well as representatives from civil society organizations.
A joint press conference featuring Lídia Pereira and Wopke Hoekstra—Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth—was held on November 19.
