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- Source: European Parliament https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20261018IPR48264/parliament-s-priorities-for-the-cop-31-climate-talks-in-turkiye
The European Parliament adopted its negotiating mandate for the COP31 UN climate talks on Thursday, calling for a quicker global exit from fossil fuels, more and fairer climate financing, and delivery on adaptation and loss-and-damage pledges. The conference is scheduled for 9-20 November in Antalya, Türkiye, according to the Parliament's statement.
Key facts
What does the Parliament want from COP31?
- The European Parliament adopted its COP31 negotiating mandate by a show of hands; the UN Climate Change Conference runs from 9 to 20 November in Antalya, Türkiye.
- MEPs said the EU remains on track for a 54% emissions cut by 2030 against 1990 levels if member states deliver on existing plans, but preliminary Eurostat figures show emissions rose by 1% between 2024 and 2025.
- The Parliament said up to 3.6 billion people live in contexts highly vulnerable to climate change and called for adaptation finance to be tripled by 2035.
- A delegation of 15 MEPs led by Lídia Pereira (EPP, PT) will attend the talks from 16 to 20 November.
In its resolution, the Parliament pointed to 2025 as one of the hottest years on record and described Europe as the fastest-warming continent, arguing that the EU cannot afford to slow its climate action. MEPs said member states and the European Commission must now close the emissions gap and stressed that all EU policies should stay aligned with the Paris Agreement and be guided by the best available science.
The mandate urges all parties to advance the roadmap on moving away from fossil fuels agreed at the previous conference, COP30. MEPs called on the EU to take a leading role in negotiations towards a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, and to set time-bound plans for phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and production. They also urged the EU to lead by example with its own timeline and strategy for an economy-wide phase-out.
The resolution highlighted the vulnerabilities created by fossil fuel dependence at a time of geopolitical instability and the importance of decarbonisation for the EU's strategic autonomy. How should climate finance change?
MEPs stressed that the gap between climate finance needs and what is currently provided is significant and growing, and called for it to be addressed urgently. While noting that the EU and its member states remain the largest providers of public climate finance, they called for continued increases in contributions, particularly through grants and highly concessional finance.
They warned against double-counting or re-categorising existing funds to meet the new collective quantified goal on climate finance agreed at COP29. The resolution also said climate finance should be allocated so as not to worsen the debt burden on climate-vulnerable countries, prioritising grant-based finance and debt relief instruments. What about adaptation and loss and damage?
The Parliament called for rapid scaling-up of predictable and accessible finance for the fund responding to loss and damage, and for all parties to deliver on the goal of tripling adaptation finance by 2035. MEPs also sought swift operationalisation of the just transition mechanism agreed at COP30, and for climate action to be paired with measures supporting green jobs, reskilling and social dialogue.
The European Climate Law commits the EU to climate neutrality by 2050 and to cutting net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. In February 2026, the Parliament updated the law with a 2040 reduction target of 90%.
The COP31 talks are expected to focus on advancing the fossil fuel transition, launching the next global stocktake and putting into practice the climate finance goal agreed at COP29. The 15-strong delegation led by Lídia Pereira will represent the Parliament in Antalya from 16 to 20 November.
Source: European Parliament
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