EU energy and climate diplomacy – strengthening sovereignty and advancing the global clean transition

To respond to this growing threat, the Council today approved conclusions on "EU energy and climate diplomacy - strengthening sovereignty and advancing the global clean transition".

The hostilities in Iran and the wider region threaten regional and global security and prosperity. Acknowledging the EU's geopolitical and economic exposure due to a significant reliance on imported fossil fuels, the Council confirms that the energy transition based on clean, abundant and homegrown energy remains the most effective strategy towards achieving Europe's strategic autonomy.

The Council welcomes the effective steps taken to increase energy efficiency, expand homegrown clean energy production, and reduce fossil fuel consumption. These steps have also contributed to the phase-out of EU dependency on Russian fossil energy.'

The Council recalls the critical importance of the clean transition towards climate neutrality as a driver of innovation, economic growth and competitiveness, and the key response to the climate and environmental crises.

[…] the Council reconfirms its unwavering commitment to international climate action, with the Paris Agreement temperature goal at its centre, keeping 1,5C within reach. The Council underlines the EU's substantial contribution to global action […] based on the European Climate Law, which commits the EU to climate neutrality at the latest by 2050.

The Council reaffirms the EU's steadfast commitment to effective multilateralism and the rules-based international order, including in tackling the climate crisis via the Paris Agreement […]'. The EU and its Member States stand ready to deepen and forge mutually beneficial partnerships and issue-based coalitions, prioritising engagement with partners willing to accelerate the clean transition and take action on strengthening global resilience.

The Council is aware of the severe impacts of climate change on global and European peace and security, acting as a threat-multiplier already at current warming levels. The Council is concerned about hostile actors exploiting climate fragility and displacement in vulnerable regions.