The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday outlining its priorities ahead of the World Climate Conference in Brazil (COP30).

Peter Liese MEP, the EPP Group’s Spokesman on the Environment said:
“The fight against climate change must remain a key priority. Despite all the other crises, the problem is not going away. Instead, we must pay attention to the global impact of our actions. That is why we should maintain the existing climate targets but be more pragmatic in their implementation and better involve industry, agriculture and, above all, the people. In the debate on future climate targets, our priority as Christian Democrats is the target for 2035. This is the focus of international discussions and it is embarrassing that we, as Europeans, have missed the UN deadline. We want a target at the upper end of the range agreed by the environment ministers, i.e. towards 72.5%. This is also justifiable if you consider the 90% target for 2040 as too ambitious, like I do. Overall, we must now focus on the important issues in climate policy and leave the side issues aside. Emissions trading is more important than the ban on combustion engines, and 2035 is more important than 2040.”

Lidia Pereira, Lead negotiator for the EPP Group on COP30 said:
“Today, the European Parliament adopted the resolution that will guide Europe’s position at COP30. I had the privilege of coordinating much of this work. It wasn’t easy — but it was worth it. After intense days and long hours of negotiation, we delivered. Europe goes to COP30, in the heart of the Amazon, showing that it is possible to decarbonise and still grow. We bring credible climate finance, strategies for adaptation, and a clear commitment to end fossil fuel dependency and the subsidies that sustain it. This resolution reaffirms our belief in multilateralism and calls on major economies — including China — to contribute financially in line with their global responsibility. Climate leadership must be shared, and COP30 is the moment to bring others to the table.”

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Background information:
Every year, the parties to the Paris Climate Agreement meet to take stock of climate protection efforts and continue negotiations. This year, the climate protection targets for 2035, which countries must submit in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), are also an important issue ahead of COP30. In the EU, member states must agree on the target unanimously. However, they missed the deadline for submission in both February and September and only indicated a target range of between 66.25% and 72.5%. The European Parliament today voted in favour of the EU setting a climate target for 2035 at the higher end of the range.