COP30, EU BACKS FOSSIL-FUEL PHASEOUT ROADMAP: ONLY ITALY AND POLAND STAND ASIDE

• Three initiatives launched in the last few days highlight the determination of dozens of countries to secure an ambitious COP30 decision that would commit the world to a clear phaseout of fossil fuels. 
• All EU member states have joined at least one of the initiatives – with the sole exceptions of Italy and Poland.

As COP30 races into its final, frantic hours, and the summit nears its close, key issues are surfacing and vanishing from the draft texts that have been in flux since Thursday night into Friday. Among them is the pathway for phasing out fossil fuels – the ‘transitioning away from fossil fuels’ first introduced two years ago at COP28 in Dubai. It is perhaps the most important issue here in Belém, yet also one of the most contentious, and it is currently where consensus is getting stuck.

Taking a step back, and focusing on the stance of the European Union, three major initiatives over the past few days point in this direction. Or rather, of its member states – since the EU itself has not (yet) signed on.

More than 80 countries have backed Brazil’s proposal to endorse a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, pushing for strong language in the final texts. Among them is virtually the entire European Union – 25 out of 27 member states – with the exception of Italy and Poland.

On Thursday, 29 countries threatened to stall COP30 negotiations in the absence of a clear commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Among the signatories of what was immediately dubbed a ‘red line’ in the final decisions in Belém, 13 were EU member states.

On Friday, it was announced that Colombia and the Netherlands will jointly host the first International Conference on a Just Transition from Fossil Fuels, to be held in Santa Marta, Colombia, on April 28–29. At the same time, the ‘Belém Declaration on a Just Transition from Fossil Fuels’ was launched, supported by 24 countries, including nine from Europe.

Speaking for his part, European Commissioner Hoekstra, who arrived in Belém to lead the EU’s position, emphasized during the Multirão negotiations the need for the final text to include a clear reference to transitioning away from fossil fuels, stating that ‘it is not acceptable’ to lower ambition. ‘If we uphold these commitments, if we achieve results on mitigation together, then yes: you can ask the EU to step out of its comfort zone on adaptation finance,’ Hoekstra warned.

Below, we provide an overview of the positions taken by EU member states on these three major initiatives, all of which converge toward the necessary phaseout of fossil fuels. As can be seen, eight countries (including Spain) are participating in all initiatives, while six (including France and Germany) are involved in at least two. It is regrettable that Italy, along with only Poland, is absent from all of them, standing at the back of the line – not only in the global context but also within Europe.

EU Member States’ Positions at COP30 on the Phaseout of Fossil Fuels
Belém Declaration on TAFF (9)	83 Countries Roadmap TAFF (25)	Red Line Roadmap TAFF (13)
AUSTRIA	AUSTRIA	AUSTRIA
BELGIUM	BELGIUM	BELGIUM
	BULGARIA
	CZECH REPUBLIC
	CYPRUS
	CROATIA	CROATIA
DENMARK	DENMARK
	ESTONIA	ESTONIA
FINLAND	FINLAND	FINLAND
	FRANCE	FRANCE
	GERMANY	GERMANY
	GREECE
IRELAND	IRELAND	IRELAND
	LATVIA
	LITUANIA
LUXEMBURG	LUXEMBURG	LUXEMBURG
	MALTA
NETHERLANDS	NETHERLANDS	NETHERLANDS
	PORTUGAL
	ROMANIA
	SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA	SLOVENIA	SLOVENIA
SPAIN	SPAIN	SPAIN
	SWEDEN	SWEDEN
	HUNGARY

^{Brought to you by Italian Climate Network}

Article by Paolo Della Ventura, Coordinator of the Climate and Advocacy Section at Italian Climate Network

Cover image: photo from The Fossil Fuel Treaty