EU plans strategic approach for COP31 climate summit

Last year's COP summit in Brazil concluded without significant progress on key EU priorities such as accelerating emissions cuts and phasing out fossil fuels. The document suggests that a lack of preparation contributed to the bloc's struggles to push its agenda forward.

The EU's renewed strategy comes at a time when global energy supplies are being disrupted by ongoing geopolitical conflicts, such as the war in Iran, leading some nations to increase coal use while others expand renewables. Ireland plans to emphasize early outreach by EU member states to other countries, fostering cooperation and strategically deploying ministers to ensure proactive engagement rather than reactive responses during the summit.

A spokesperson for Ireland's climate ministry confirmed the country's streamlined approach, focusing efforts on key priorities and emphasizing that climate diplomacy is a year-round process of engagement and relationship-building.