The new EU cycle represents a critical moment for both the EU and international climate policy. The EU faces shifting geopolitical dynamics, marked by rising global powers, concerns over resilient supply chains and energy security, and anxieties over the EU’s competitive position in the global economy, all in the backdrop of rising temperatures. As the EU seeks to continue to be a global leader on climate action in a challenging geopolitical context, the EU has turned to launching climate partnerships as a key part of the EU’s climate diplomacy efforts.

At the same time, the next phase of implementing key parts of the EU Green Deal will come with important implications for international partnerships (i.e. the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products). The EU will need to effectively communicate these policies while building new alliances for climate action and sustainable development on an equal footing with partners in a complex geopolitical and fragmented landscape.

This main goal of this project is to encourage the EU to develop climate partnerships that are effective, mutually beneficial, balanced and ambitious. To do so, this project assesses the coordination, consistency and coherency of selected EU climate partnerships, draws lessons from successful partnerships, all to develop recommendations on how the EU, together with Member States can develop strong partnerships.