Policy Updates

On November 18, 2024, both the European Parliament and the EU Council published their priorities ahead of COP29 negotiations, which highlighted focus on climate financing, carbon pricing, and national contributions.

The EU and its Member States also issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to strengthen gender integration in global climate action.

The European Parliament called for a NCQG for financing climate action which is socially fair, aligned with the polluter-pays principle, and includes public, private, and innovative financing. The MEPs want the big emerging economies with high emissions and high GDPs to financially contribute to global climate action. They also called for the EU to step up its green diplomacy, and help other countries develop their carbon pricing mechanisms. The Parliament also called to transition away from fossil fuels by stopping the subsidies and reallocating this funding to climate action.

On October 14, the Council had approved the EU’s general negotiating position for COP29, calling for:

• An ambitious and balanced outcome which keeps the 1.5°C temperature goal, in line with COP28 ambitions and absolute reduction targets in NDCs for all greenhouse gasses;
• Making progress on long-term adaptation and resilience, and urgently scaling up mitigation and implementation of the global stocktake decision; and
• An agreement on an effective, achievable, and ambitious NCQG, which includes various flows of finance and a broader group of contributors.

Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra delivered remarks at the opening session of COP29. He highlighted that the challenge to meet the 1.5°C target is political and the EU will continue to lead the effort. Regarding the negotiations on the NCQG on Climate Finance, Hoesktra said public finance should remain at its core, but that it is important to expand the donor base to include those who contribute to emissions. The funding will be dispersed to those most in need. Finally, more resources beyond public sector funding must contribute to this effort.

On the opening day of COP29, the EU and its Member States were joined by 17 other countries on a joint statement, which reiterated the importance of gender issues in the fight against climate change. It underscored the disproportionate effect it has on women and the need for full and equal participation in decision-making processes. It also called for the adoption of a work program on gender and climate at COP29, in line with earlier commitments.

On 18 November 2024, EC President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a speech at Session I: Social Inclusion and the Fight against Hunger and Poverty at the G20 in Rio de Janeiro.

During her speech at the 1^st Session of the G20 Leaders' Meeting, the president painted a grim picture of the world where climate change, disasters, and conflict are a daily reality. However, she reiterated that the EU is committed to fight poverty, hunger, and social exclusion domestically and internationally. She underlined that globally the EU is the largest provider of ODA, and committed EUR15 billion (US$16 billion) to fight poverty and hunger over the past few 3 years. She also noted that the EU continues to invest in infrastructure and creating jobs through Global Gateway.

On November 17, 2024, during Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro, von der Leyen and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the global campaign Scaling up Renewables in Africa, together with Global Citizen, and the IEA a policy partner. The one-year long campaign will drive new commitments on policy and finance to mobilize investments from governments, the private sector, and MDBs into renewables in Africa. While Africa holds 60% of the world's best solar resources, the continent attracts only 3% of global energy investment.

Von der Leyen will also invite global leaders to join forces in a new Global Energy Transition Forum, which will bring together governments, international organizations, and financial actors to amplify the implementation of the targets set in COP28 of tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency worldwide.

On November 8, 2024, the EU announced that it will continue to support global climate action and push for ambitious finance and investment goals ahead of COP29 on November 11-22 in Azerbaijan.

The EU will push for international collaboration to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The main priority of this year’s negotiations will be the establishment of a NCQG on Climate Finance. The EU highlighted that the NCQG should contribute to making financial flows consistent with the Paris Agreement and mobilise financing from a wide variety of sources, public and private, domestic and international.

Other key elements for the EU in the COP29 include reconfirming the shift from fossil fuels, tripling investments in renewable energy, and doubling energy efficiency by 2030. The EU will advocate for ambitious updates to NDCs, and it intends to propose a legislative target to reduce emissions by 90% by 2040 as part of the European Climate Law. The EU negotiating team will also work to conclude the negotiations on international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra will lead the EU negotiating team at COP29, with an aim to deliver on the negotiating mandate adopted last month. Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson will focus on the transition away from fossil fuels, reduction of methane emissions, and the development of clean technologies. Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Iliana Ivanova will attend a high-level event on The Future of Net Zero Competitiveness.

On November 4, 2024, the European Council committed to the February 2024 decision to increase funding for Ukraine and migration-related priorities as part of the MFF mid-term revision.

To implement this agreement, the EU is reallocating EUR2 billion (US$2.1 billion) from other regions, including sub-Saharan Africa, as well as key focal areas such as climate, health, gender, and human rights. A 7.5% pro-rata cut is being implemented across regions and programs.

These new amounts have led to revised envelopes for 2025-2027, published following a mid-term review of the programming of NDICI-Global Europe. The mid-term review amends the 2021-2027 programs which established country allocations and updated priority areas for international cooperation. It covered 85 countries, one multi-country, three regional, four thematic multi-annual indicative programs, and the Erasmus+ program.

Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen highlighted the importance of the ability to adjust their programs in line with the needs and challenges of partner countries and amidst increasing global competition, while also ensuring support to the fragile countries.

On October 29, 2024, The European Parliament conducted hearings of most of the Commissioners-designates, including Jozef Síkela who has since been confirmed Commissioner responsible for International Partnerships.

The last hearings will take place on 12 November, 2024 followed by discussions in the European Parliament about the approval of the whole College. Should any of the Commissioner-designates be rejected, the EU Member States will need to propose a new candidate, followed by assigning a portfolio and conducting a new hearing. If none of the Commissioner designates are rejected, the final European Parliament approval is expected November 2024, in order for the EC to start its work on December 1, 2024.

During his hearing, Síkela notedd that his top priority will be the implementation and scaling up of Global Gateway. He is committed to poverty eradication and ensuring Global Gateway investments align with the SDGs. He focused on the need for better communication and marketing of the EU's actions. He sees shortage of raw materials, climate change, and disinformation as urgent concerns, focusing primarily on increasing private sector mobilization as a means to fill funding need gaps.

Síkela was questioned on migration, where he said that the EU development policy should be a "whole of route" approach to migration - not only tackling root causes but also working with countries of transit and departure. He clarified that a differentiated approach must be adopted for fragile/conflict states to support basic needs and to protect the more vulnerable people: women, children, and disabled people. He also wants to strengthen the EU's relationship with Africa. Sikela acknowledged concerns about cuts to the EU's ODA and assured he'll be the staunchest defender of the ODA budget, given its geopolitical importance. Additionally, he committed to maintaining the EU’s 10% target for aid spending on education, and the full implementation of EU’s GAPIII as well as a timely design of the next GAP.

Other relevant hearings that took place include:

Commissioner-designate for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality Hadja Lahbib stressed the importance of prevention, preparedness and strengthening EU civil and military readiness, as well as supporting people in humanitarian crises, particularly through a more coherent application of the humanitarian-peace-development triple nexus. To address the funding gap for humanitarian assistance, Lahbib said she will advocate for larger member states funding, lobby new donors, and involve the private sector in developing and delivering humanitarian assistance.

Commissioner-designate for Budget Piotr Serafin underlined that the EU future budget has to encompass new priorities like defense and digitalization, as well as the existing policies on climate, cohesion, and agriculture. He highlighted that the budget has to be flexible, simple, and get “the maximum out of every Euro”. He acknowledged the difficulty of addressing diverse priorities within the current budget cap of 1% of EU GNI. He committed to defending EU funding and vowed to push for new sources of EU revenue – so-called “Own Resources”.

Commissioner-designate for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, wants to place R&I at the heart of the EU's competitiveness agenda. She also advocated for member states increasing the R&I spending target to 4% by 2030. She said that she is committed to promoting international R&I cooperation through a balanced approach that fosters reciprocity and level playing field, and supports EU’s strategic autonomy and economic security.

On October 25, 2024, Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen participated in the World Bank / IMF Development Committee in Washington.

During her mission, the Commissioner reinforced the EU’s global partnerships with new investments in sustainability, public finance, and education:

• The EU signed a guarantee to allow Denmark to launch the Danish Sustainable Development Goals Investment Fund II ( SDG Fund II). The target size of the fund is EUR670 million (US$741 million), including EUR72 million (US$79 million) backed by EFSD+ guarantees. The SDG Fund II will invest in green and inclusive economic growth and focus on financial services, renewable energy, infrastructure, healthcare, and sustainable food systems;
• The EU signed a EUR15 million (US$17 million) contribution to the new IMF multi-donor fund GPFP. The funds will support developing countries' fiscal capacity development;
• The EU also provided EUR8 million (US$9 million) to support the second phase of the IMF- EU Public Financial Management - Partnership Programme 2. This EU-funded program helps partner countries strengthen their spending policies and PFM systems; and
• The EU also signed the AU component of the Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa, worth US$2 million, with the AUC. It is slated to enhance teacher’s professional development, regional teacher frameworks as well as regional coordination and teacher mobility.

On October 24, 2024, the EIB and the CDB announced a new initiative to support water supply and management, as well as the ocean ecosystem across the Caribbean.

EIB’s EUR100 million (US$111 million) loan will boost CDB support to projects in the area of clean water supply, collection and treatment of wastewater and solid waste, and flood prevention. The fourteen eligible Caribbean countries are Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago. The funds will allow them to better adapt to periods of drought or intense rain and reduce ocean pollution thanks to this initiative.

The projects will also receive technical advice from experts, thanks to a EUR17 million (US$19 million) grant from the EC’s Caribbean Investment Facility, which fills the funding gaps by pooling resources from EU partners and attracting additional investment.

On October 23, 2024, the European Commissioners-designates published their written replies to the EP questions ahead of the upcoming hearings in the EP which will confirm or reject the proposed Commissioners.

The hearings will take place between November 4-12, 2024, with the Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela’s hearing scheduled for November 6, 2024.

In his written replies, Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships, has highlighted the key areas and priorities for his future mandate. He said that International Partnerships will be a cornerstone of the EU’s new foreign economic policy, with economic growth being the main engine of sustainable development. He will continue to focus on the Global Gateway as the EU’s main contribution to the 2030 Agenda, while focusing on food, health, and education in fragile and conflict contexts.

Mobilizing private investments will be key to achieving the biggest impact of EU funding. He will continue to build on the Team Europe approach as a way of coordinating the EU's limited resources and deliver on priorities as a team. The main sectors for engagement will be green energy, digital infrastructure, transport, education, and health, as investing in these areas will reduce poverty, address the root causes of irregular migration and bolster economic security.

Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management, and Equality Hadja Lahbib committed to stepping up efforts to boost preparedness and response to disasters, including those linked to climate change and health. She will steer the development and implementation of an ambitious EU Preparedness Union Strategy. In her role as a Commissioner for Equality, she will develop the Gender Equality Strategy post-2025.

Commissioner-designate for Budget Piotr Serafin called for the EC to be an ‘Investment Commission’, with a more efficient and impactful financial architecture for the Union, and a more focused, simpler, and impactful budget. He supported strengthened and modernized revenues, including via new own resources.

Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva will prioritize the development of the next Framework Program for Research and Innovation, as well as work to increase research spending and support the target of investing 3% GDP in R&D. She stressed the importance of bridging research and innovation ecosystems to address global challenges, while pursuing reciprocity, a global level-playing field, and Europe’s strategic autonomy and economic security.

On October 10 and 11, 2024, the G7's Health Ministerial Meeting took place in Ancona, Italy. The discussion focused on three overarching priorities: Global Health Architecture and Pandemic Preparedness and Response, healthy and active aging, and the One Health Approach.

The G7 Health Ministers Communiqué, released at the end of the meeting, highlights the G7's commitment to supporting SDG #3 through universal health coverage, primary health care, and sexual and reproductive health. This also includes maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health, strengthening the global health architecture by investing in PPR, promoting regional manufacturing of health products, and equitable access to quality health services.

The communiqué emphasized the health-related impacts of conflicts with a reference to the crises in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan. Furthermore, in the communiqué, the G7 Ministries committed to continue to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund, whose replenishment processes will occur in the upcoming months.

The Civil 7 engagement group, a platform through which civil society can engage with the G7, reacted with a communiqué in which they expressed an appreciation for the re-commitment to ending HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through robust support for the Global Fund in its replenishment next year. This support is crucial to ending the three epidemics as agreed upon in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Finally, the G7 Health Ministers also adopted a policy brief on the opportunities presented by AI for both healthcare providers and patients.

On October 9, 2024, South Korea attended the 11^th Steering Committee Meeting of the Ukraine Donor Platform held in Rome, Italy.

South Korean Representative Byung Ha Jung presented the government’s efforts to support Ukraine’s reconstruction in education, infrastructure, and health and medical care. He also held bilateral meetings with representatives of Ukraine, the EU, the UK, Sweden, and other countries to discuss cooperation. Through this participation, the South Korean government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction.