A European Parliament committee adopted a draft resolution setting out the legislature’s priorities for the U.N. climate conference, COP31, to be held Nov. 9-20 in Antalya, Türkiye.
The Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety approved the text by 50 votes to 16, with three abstentions. The summit is set to focus on advancing the transition away from fossil fuels, launching the process for the next global stocktake and scaling up climate finance, including by putting into operation the new collective quantified goal agreed at COP29.
Emissions gap
The draft resolution notes that 2025 was one of the hottest years on record and that Europe remains the fastest-warming continent. Lawmakers said the European Union must keep driving ambitious climate action.
The EU is on course to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by about 54% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels if member states fully implement existing and planned measures, the text says. However, lawmakers expressed concern over preliminary data showing EU emissions rose by 1% between 2024 and 2025. They called on member states to close the gap and on the European Commission to support them, and said all EU policies must stay aligned with the Paris Agreement and guided by the best available science.
Fossil fuels
The text urges all parties to advance the roadmap on moving away from fossil fuels agreed at COP30. Lawmakers called for the EU to take a leading role in negotiations toward a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, and for time-bound plans to phase out fossil fuel subsidies and production. They urged the bloc to lead by example with its own timeline and strategy for an economy-wide phase-out.
They also pointed to vulnerabilities created by fossil fuel dependence during a period of geopolitical instability, and to the importance of decarbonization for the EU’s strategic autonomy.
Climate finance
Lawmakers said the gap between climate finance needs and what is being provided is significant and growing, and should be urgently addressed. They noted that the EU and its member states remain the largest providers of public climate finance, but called for continued increases, particularly through grants and highly concessional finance. They warned against double-counting or re-categorizing existing funds to meet the new goal.
The resolution also says finance should be allocated so as not to worsen the debt burden on climate-vulnerable countries, giving priority to grants and debt relief instruments.
Adaptation, loss and damage
Citing estimates that up to 3.6 billion people live in contexts highly vulnerable to climate change, lawmakers called for a rapid scale-up of predictable and accessible finance for the fund for responding to loss and damage. They also urged all parties to deliver on the goal of tripling adaptation finance by 2035.
The text calls for swift operationalization of the just transition mechanism agreed at COP30, and for climate action to be paired with measures supporting green jobs, reskilling and social dialogue.
Next steps
The full Parliament will vote on the final resolution during its Oct. 19-22 plenary session. A delegation of 15 lawmakers, led by Lídia Pereira of the European People’s Party in Portugal, will attend the climate talks from Nov. 16-20.
