NEW DELHI: Taking forward the commitment of Indian and EU leaders in February to establish a strategic partnership to jointly address global issues, climate envoys from four countries — Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden — along with the EU, held multiple discussions with representatives of different ministries here from April 2 to April 4. The aim was to explore how the partnership could align broader climate actions and sustainability goals with India’s ‘ Viksit Bharat 2047 ’ vision.
During these meetings, concrete steps were discussed to capitalise on the existing potential for EU-India cooperation towards cleaner trade and investment in green technologies such as electric vehicles , critical minerals, hydrogen, green transport, and adaptation measures.
The meeting in Delhi coincided with India’s pitch at the BRICS forum in Brasilia, Brazil, where it called on the BRICS nations last Thursday to unite on the ‘ Baku to Belem Roadmap ’. This roadmap aims to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for achieving climate action goals, noting that the proposed $300 billion per year by 2035 under the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance , agreed in Baku, Azerbaijan (host of COP29), is far below the required amount.
Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, climate envoy for the Netherlands, sought to look at the "practical side" of the climate finance debate. He noted that the countries of the Global South (developed countries) negotiated tripling the amount from the current goal of $100 billion to $300 billion annually.
"So from that side, we say what we do three times as much, knowing that the US is stepping down. It depends on what point of view you look at it. Everybody was voicing what they would like to see and only at the end we came to what we were able to deliver," Parme told TOI on a specific question on climate finance.
Asked how to bridge the finance gap, Gerhard Schlaudraff, climate envoy for Germany, who was part of the visiting delegation, said it (NCQG) was a very difficult negotiation. He noted that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is expected to place additional strain on climate finance flows and intensify debates around it. He also underlined that the EU and its member nations remain significant contributors to climate finance mobilised so far.
The EU, as India’s biggest trade partner, is also among the biggest foreign direct investors in the country and the world’s largest contributor to climate finance. The joint diplomatic mission of climate envoys comes in the wake of the recent visit by the college of European Commissioners.
The five European envoys, including Parme, Schlaudraff, EU special envoy for climate and environment Anthony (Tony) Agotha, Sweden's climate ambassador Mattias Frumerie, and Denmark's climate ambassador Ole Thonke, explored how to further strengthen India-EU cooperation on multilateral climate diplomacy and bilateral climate-related trade and investment during their visit.
During their three-day visit, they met Indian counterparts from the Prime Minister’s Office, NITI Aayog, and the ministries of external affairs, environment, forests and climate change, finance, new and renewable energy, power, petroleum, and natural gas.
"The envoys also look forward to engaging with India on all multilateral forums and continuing joint efforts to reinforce international climate diplomacy to the mutual benefit of India and the EU, and partners globally," said a press statement from the EU.
During these meetings, concrete steps were discussed to capitalise on the existing potential for EU-India cooperation towards cleaner trade and investment in green technologies such as electric vehicles , critical minerals, hydrogen, green transport, and adaptation measures.
The meeting in Delhi coincided with India’s pitch at the BRICS forum in Brasilia, Brazil, where it called on the BRICS nations last Thursday to unite on the ‘ Baku to Belem Roadmap ’. This roadmap aims to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for achieving climate action goals, noting that the proposed $300 billion per year by 2035 under the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance , agreed in Baku, Azerbaijan (host of COP29), is far below the required amount.
Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, climate envoy for the Netherlands, sought to look at the "practical side" of the climate finance debate. He noted that the countries of the Global South (developed countries) negotiated tripling the amount from the current goal of $100 billion to $300 billion annually.
"So from that side, we say what we do three times as much, knowing that the US is stepping down. It depends on what point of view you look at it. Everybody was voicing what they would like to see and only at the end we came to what we were able to deliver," Parme told TOI on a specific question on climate finance.
Asked how to bridge the finance gap, Gerhard Schlaudraff, climate envoy for Germany, who was part of the visiting delegation, said it (NCQG) was a very difficult negotiation. He noted that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is expected to place additional strain on climate finance flows and intensify debates around it. He also underlined that the EU and its member nations remain significant contributors to climate finance mobilised so far.
The EU, as India’s biggest trade partner, is also among the biggest foreign direct investors in the country and the world’s largest contributor to climate finance. The joint diplomatic mission of climate envoys comes in the wake of the recent visit by the college of European Commissioners.
The five European envoys, including Parme, Schlaudraff, EU special envoy for climate and environment Anthony (Tony) Agotha, Sweden's climate ambassador Mattias Frumerie, and Denmark's climate ambassador Ole Thonke, explored how to further strengthen India-EU cooperation on multilateral climate diplomacy and bilateral climate-related trade and investment during their visit.
During their three-day visit, they met Indian counterparts from the Prime Minister’s Office, NITI Aayog, and the ministries of external affairs, environment, forests and climate change, finance, new and renewable energy, power, petroleum, and natural gas.
"The envoys also look forward to engaging with India on all multilateral forums and continuing joint efforts to reinforce international climate diplomacy to the mutual benefit of India and the EU, and partners globally," said a press statement from the EU.
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