With the Paris Agreement and the Green Deal, the European Union (EU) has a good basis on which to take an important position in international climate policy. However, in order to have a real impact on the international scene, the EU will have to take additional steps. This article describes what the EU can do to maintain and expand its leadership role in international climate policy. 

The EU has shown that it is a key player in international climate policy by establishing the Paris Agreement in 2015, the first universal agreement to combat climate change. [1] Unlike in Copenhagen (2009) and Durban (2011), the EU in Paris (2015) did manage to set targets, such as limiting global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees, with 1.5 degrees as a target value, and a fiveyear evaluation of the climate policy of all countries. This has been achieved thanks to the High Ambition Coalition, consisting of the EU and a number of countries, sharing the highest level of ambition in the international climate talks. The challenge for the EU now lies in remaining a leader in climate policy at the international level and expanding its influence. [2, 3, 4] 

A first important step that the EU must take to be taken seriously at all at an international climate level is that the EU leads by example, and develops policies consistent with its commitments.[5, 6] The European Green Deal is very important in this. In it, the EU has stated that it wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the end of 2030, and to be the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. [7] The European Green Deal has given the EU a policy lead. To keep this advantage, she will need to increase her efforts, as US President Biden has recently promised to inject $ 2 trillion into clean energy during his four-year term. This is twice the EU budget, so the EU will have to increase its structural investments in climate policy if it wants to remain a leader at the international level. [8] This will be a challenge, as the past shows that, especially with regard to climate finances, EU goals are often not achieved. [9, 10, 11] 

In order to actually be, and stay, a leader at the international level, it is also important that the EU speaks with one voice on behalf of the member states. Such as during the UN climate convention (UNFCCC) and other international forums. [12] This is a challenge because the EU is not formally a state. It is therefore very important that the EU delegations and the diplomatic missions of the Member States work together well. [13] Frans Timmermans, the EU executive vice president in charge of the Green Deal, and Josep Borell, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, will have to tackle this jointly. [14] The next important moment at international level at which the EU can demonstrate its leadership on climate policy is the United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow (COP26), taking place in November 2021.[15] As with the Paris Agreement, active multilateral diplomacy is required, behind the scenes and prior to the meeting, in order to be successful. 

Supporting developing countries financially in their fight against the effects of climate change, so that tensions and instability in these countries are avoided, will have to be an important topic of the international diplomatic talks. According to the EU itself, the EU, its Member States (including the UK) and the European Investment Bank together are currently already the biggest contributor of public climate finance to developing countries. [16] However, research, covering 2013-2018, shows that EU institutions fall short on their commitments to mobilize climate finance to support developing countries. [17, 18] If the EU is to be a leader in international climate policy, it will have to fulfil its financial commitments. Not least because otherwise it is not in a position to hold other countries to account for their financial contributions to developing countries, and international climate finance to developing countries will be a key aspect of the UN climate change conference in Glasgow. [19] 

If the EU really wants to increase its influence on international climate policy, it will also have to make far-reaching climate agreements in its trade and investment policy. Firstly, the EU will have to do this within all internal policy areas. This means that investments should only be made in, and subsidies should only give to, green technology and industry, such as green cement and steel. In addition, the EU will have to set clear climate goals in international trade agreements. At the international level, the prevention of trade disruption and discrimination has always taken precedence over environmental protection. If the EU is to be the first to be climate neutral by 2050, it will now have to start setting a good example at the international level, by consistently setting strict climate targets in trade agreements. [20, 21, 22, 23] Unfortunately, the latter is not yet the case. 

On 30 December 2020, the European Commission and China reached an agreement in principle on the terms of a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). [24] European leaders expressed their satisfaction with China's announcement that it would be carbon-neutral by 2060. [25] No concrete agreements have been made, while the European Parliament has indicated through resolutions in 2013, 2015 and 2018 that the treaty should include a chapter on sustainable development including binding agreements on international labour and environmental standards. [26, 27] With the CAI as it is now in place, the European Union has, for the time being, neglected a major step towards maximizing its influence on international climate policy. 

The EU has a leading position in international climate policy and there are plenty of opportunities to increase this influence, such as the COP26 in November 2021. Whether the EU is able to strengthen its position largely depends on the EU and its member states themselves. Are they able to work cooperatively in international diplomacy, is the EU able to release sufficient financial resources in the long term for the Green Deal and to support developing countries? And last but not least, will the EU make far-reaching climate agreements in all its internal, trade, policy and international agreements? For the time being, the promises are bigger than the actions, as the climate finances and CAI show, so if the EU really wants to maximize its influence on international climate policy it will have to go the extra mile. 

 1. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20180703STO07129/eu-responses-to-climate-change 2. https://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/cop24-eu-and-allies-breakthrough-agreement-step-ambition_en 

3. Missiroli, A. (2016). The Eu and the world: players and policies post-Lisbon: a handbook. European Union Institute for Security Studies. Ch 3. 

4. Video-lecture: Case study on EU and Climate Negotiations 

5. https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/eu_climate_policy_explained_en.pdf 

6. Video-lecture: Case study on EU and Climate Negotiations 

7. https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/eu-climate-action_en 

8. https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-jitters-over-us-climate-biden-trump-green-deal-return-to-paris-agreement/ 

9. https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/RW20_01/RW_Tracking_climate_spending_EN.pdf 

10. https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/eu-affairs/120045/eu-lacks-reliable-tracking-of-climate-spending/ 

11. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-eu-budget-idUSKBN2441UF 

12. https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations_en 

13. Wessel, Ramses & Odermatt, Jed. (2019). The European Union’s engagement with other international institutions: Emerging questions of EU and international law. 

14. https://carnegieeurope.eu/2019/12/18/climate-politics-in-fragmented-europe-pub-80616 

15. https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/eu-climate-action_en 

16. https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/finance_en 

17. https://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-fund/opinion/developing-countries-deserve-fair-and-transparent-climatesupport-from-the-eu/ 

18. https://actalliance.eu/news-post/new-study-finds-that-the-eu-must-revise-its-climate-finance-policies/ 

19. https://euobserver.com/green-deal/151048 

20. https://carnegieeurope.eu/2019/12/18/climate-politics-in-fragmented-europe-pub-80616 

21. https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/opinion/a-credible-industrial-pillar-for-the-european-greendeal/ 

22. https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/international-trade-and-sustainable-development-on-levelplaying-field-cross 

23. https://www.epc.eu/en/publications/The-end-of-the-level-playing-field~377b20 

24. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=6bf71571-8b0b-46b6-abc5-fb826ecd49a4 

25. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2020/12/30/ 

26. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2020/652066/EPRS_BRI(2020)652066_EN.pdf 

27. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-balanced-and-progressive-trade-policy-to-harnessglobalisation/file-eu-china-investment-agreement