Climate diplomacy: College Members meet with Alok Sharma, President of COP26

Tomorrow, Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioners Kadri Simson, Virginijus Sinkevičius and Mairead McGuinness will receive Alok Sharma, the President of the COP26 climate conference due to be held in Glasgow in November this year. In line with the Paris Agreement, the EU submitted an ambitious new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UNFCCC secretariat in December, committing to an at least 55% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. This objective sets the EU on a balanced and realistic pathway towards climate neutrality in 2050. Following the EU’s leadership, governments around the world have made a number of important announcements to boost the fight against climate change in recent months, and with the U.S. re-joining the Paris Agreement a new international momentum for climate action is an encouraging signal for COP26. The Commission is committed to working closely with the COP26 Presidency and all of its international partners to make this crucial year a tipping point for climate action and for nature. The Commission will make legislative proposals in June 2021 to implement its new climate and energy targets in our ‘Fit for 55′ Package, showcasing again to our international partners how the European Green Deal is both a climate strategy and a growth strategy. We will also present new proposals in the course of 2021 to promote sustainable finance and to embark in nature restoration and reverse biodiversity loss, as essential pillars of tackling the climate crisis.