The EU's ambitious green agenda is losing momentum, as the bloc prioritises defence and competitiveness. Is Brussels ceding its climate leadership role on the world stage?
Six years ago, the EU was flying high on a wave of climate momentum — powered by Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement. Fast forward to 2025 and climate politics have slipped down the bloc’s agenda.
Cracks are now showing in the European Commission’s commitments, and the mood in Brussels feels more grey than green.
In this policy report, I interview MEP Lídia Pereira, head of the European Parliament’s delegation to COP30, about the state of the EU’s climate commitments and why she remains optimistic going into the summit.
The Parliament's Federica Di Sario asks if the EU has fallen out of love with its own climate ambitions, while Kira Taylor examines the future of global climate financing and the EU’s role in shaping it.
In the opinion section, MEP Javi López makes the case for the Green Deal and why it must be seen as a growth plan, while senior figures from the Nordic energy sector urge the EU to remain strong with their 2040 climate targets.
Meanwhile, Antoine Oger of the Institute for European Environmental Policy argues that, at a time of global backsliding, Europe must stay the course — and lead.
Going into COP30, the EU faces a defining moment: can it shake off its climate fatigue and reclaim its place as the world’s green standard-bearer?
—Matt Lynes, Opinion & Policy Report Editor