EU climate change diplomacy in a post-Covid-19 world

Since the European Parliament issued its resolution on climate diplomacy in June 2018, several important trends have been shaping this area of the EU’s external action, enabling progress and posing new challenges.

The EU started its comprehensive low-emission transformation with the Green Deal, established a progressive policy framework for sustainable finance and had to cope with the impacts of the pandemic in a way that is compatible with its transformative ambition. At the same time, its role on the international stage has evolved substantially, and sustainability has been playing an ever-stronger role across its external relations.

Against the backdrop of these developments, this study assesses the progress of climate diplomacy since 2018, with a focus on climate security, trade, development cooperation, sustainable capital flows, gender equality and science, research and innovation. Based on this assessment, it outlines the tasks for a European climate diplomacy of the future and highlights the role of the European Parliament in shaping this policy field.