The Climate Change Conference
The 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) was held from 10-21 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.
On the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the COP30 conference brought Parties - the countries and regional organisations that have joined the UN’s climate convention - together to intensify global efforts to limit global temperature rise.
The conference also served as an opportunity for Parties to present new or updated climate plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which outline national efforts to tackle climate change, and to assess progress on the finance pledges made at COP29.
Key results
At COP30, the EU pushed the international community to strive for bolder action to cut emissions and adapt to the impact of the climate crisis.
While aiming for more ambition, the EU
- secured an agreement on a global response to keep the 1.5C limit within reach
- presented an ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 66.25% to 72.5% below 1990 levels by 2035
- called for tripling by 2035 finance for adaptation under the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) climate finance commitments agreed at COP29
- endorsed a declaration to boost the recognition of carbon pricing and market mechanisms as key tools to advance climate action globally
- backed a global innovative funding mechanism that rewards the conservation of tropical forests
- reaffirmed its commitment to delivering the global pledges to transition away from fossil fuels, triple the installed capacity of renewables, and double the global rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, as agreed at COP28
EU climate action at home
The EU is staying the course on its climate goals.
The Commission has proposed an amendment to the EU Climate Law, setting a 2040 climate target of 90% reduction (85% domestic target and up to 5% of international carbon credits) in net greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels.
On the path to 2040, the EU has agreed on a Nationally Determined Contribution and has submitted it to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The NDC is to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 66.25% to 72.5% below 1990 levels by 2035.
Both targets build on the existing objective of reducing net emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and represent an intermediate step towards the EU’s overarching commitment to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
The Commission has presented the Clean Industrial Deal for Europe, a plan outlining concrete actions to make decarbonisation a key driver of growth for European industries.
Furthermore, the new long-term EU budget for 2028-2034 should boost investments to support innovative companies and maintain Europe’s leading role in cleantech sectors and circularity.
EU’s contribution to global climate finance
The EU continues to support developing countries through climate finance, partnerships, and rule-based trade and investment to drive a clean transition that leaves no-one behind.
The EU remains the world's biggest donor of climate finance. In 2024, the European Union and its 27 Member States contributed €31.7 billion in climate finance from public sources and mobilised an additional amount of €11 billion of private finance to support developing countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
In January 2025, the EU launched the Global Energy Transition Forum, which brings together partners from across the world to achieve ambitious climate targets and support countries facing greater challenges in the clean energy transition.
The EU’s trade and sustainable development approach further supports sustainable development in third countries by adding binding commitments to respect the Paris Agreement in new trade agreements.
This page was last updated on 24 November 2025