Wopke Hoekstra Highlights the EU’s Role in Climate Action

Baku (Eurotoday) – In his closing remarks, EU Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra said that COP29 will usher in a new era of climate finance. 

The 2024 UN Climate Change Conference was concluded in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event has assembled world leaders and negotiators from the member states (or Parties) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to further global improvement, with business leaders, young people, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society sharing insights and best practices to support global, collective and inclusive climate action.

What steps is the EU taking to boost climate financing?

The European Commissioner highlighted that

“the European Union and its Member States will continue to play a leading function in this process. We have performed actively with all participants to significantly improve the volume of financing. We have tripled the target of 100 billion dollars and consider this target ambitious, necessary, realistic and achievable,”

he stated.

The European Commissioner emphasised that all countries with the capacity should assist in climate financing.

Further, Wopke Hoekstra stressed

“We are working hard to support those who are most vulnerable. Access to finance will be easier, and we have agreed to increase funding for adaptation measures. This is especially important since public funds are the key driver in this area.”

blank” rel=”noopener”>Hoekstra concluded by stating that increasing the donor base voluntarily is a crucial step, given the scale of the problem,

“We also see a historic increase in the role of multilateral development banks in supporting this transition, which in turn will attract significantly more private funds. This is the approach we need to achieve the $1.3 trillion target.”

Moreover, among the critical priorities of COP 29 are securing a new plan on climate finance, ensuring every country has the standards to take much stronger climate action, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and building resilient communities.