CAN Europe – COP30 Mid-Point Review
Belém, 14 November 2025, As the first week of COP30 nears its close, negotiations are only inching forward. With the United States absent, the EU has a golden opportunity to fill the ambition gap and prove its worth, yet this leadership has so far failed to materialise in this first week of negotiations in Belem. At the same time, despite the announced Brazilian Presidency’s efforts to keep polluters out, the influence of the fossil fuel lobby remains undeniable in Belém, with 129 fossil fuel representatives participating through European country delegations or business associations.
Belém is also the first COP since the International Court of Justice clarified that ambitious climate action is a legal obligation rooted in human rights and international law. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, this implementation COP must deliver on transitioning away from fossil fuels, establish a global Just Transition Mechanism, and close the global ambition gap that continues to put vulnerable communities at risk worldwide.
Chiara Martinelli, Director at Climate Action Network Europe, said:
“In these talks, we no longer call the EU a global climate leader, not because it lacks the means or influence, but because it has not stepped up to the role. True leadership means showing up, from day one, for the whole package of justice outcomes, not cherry-picking items or hiding behind trade-offs.”
TAFF Decisions Ahead
At COP30, discussions on moving forward with a roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels are finally gaining political traction. However, they still fall short of the clarity and ambition needed to deliver the transformational shift of our energy systems that will keep 1.5°C within reach and provide a clear global response to the ambition gap identified by the Synthesis Report. The Colombia declaration represents a constructive attempt to build a coalition of political will needed to advance at this COP. While not as ambitious as science and equity require, the declaration plays a key role in assembling the critical mass necessary to shift negotiations toward the substance of a global fossil fuel phase-out. The EU must actively support initiatives that move in the right direction, including the TAFF roadmap proposed by President Lula. Early exchanges among Parties suggest greater openness to agreeing in Belém on a process to develop a TAFF roadmap, but real progress will depend on movement across other agenda items.
Looking ahead, governments must convert these political signals into concrete moves. Momentum is not enough: negotiators must put substance on the table to break the deadlock and ensure the roadmap drives real-world outcomes: rapidly reducing fossil fuel production and consumption while scaling up just, people-centred transitions in all regions. A credible COP30 outcome must firmly anchor a global transition away from fossil fuels, backed by detailed work starting immediately after Belém.
Sven Harmeling, Head of Climate at CAN Europe, said:
“Momentum around the transition away from fossil fuels is growing, but without a clear roadmap it risks becoming another empty promise. COP30 must agree on a concrete, EU-backed process to develop a global transition away from fossil fuels, one rooted in equity, science and the rapid phase-out of all fossil fuels.”
Waiting on the Belém BAM breakthrough
Negotiations on Just Transition started with a big step forward early in week one. The G77 supported the idea of the establishment of the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM), which is no mean feat considering the huge diversity of interest amongst the 134 nations in the group. Whilst sceptics remain, it’s worth mentioning that for many, COP30 will only be seen as a success if it delivers the Belém Action Mechanism, the global framework that makes Just Transition real. The mechanism should also include a global hub of practitioners and set the path for COP31 and COP32 to strengthen the Just Transition Work Programme and anchor BAM as a permanent coordination body.
EU governments must get behind the civil society call for a climate transition that truly puts people at the centre. Providing dignified livelihoods and safety to workers, communities and families affected by the fossil fuel phase-out, or the broader transition to a low-carbon global economy, is not a ‘nice to have’. It is as central to delivering a 1.5°C-aligned pathway as phasing out fossil fuels, scaling renewable energy, or mobilising climate finance.
What BAM brings to the table is something genuinely new. The current UN system is fragmented, with Just Transition initiatives scattered across siloes, lacking coordination and institutional weight. A Belém Action Mechanism would provide a well-funded, permanent hub of expertise to gather knowledge, guide policy direction, and support countries in designing and implementing people-centred transitions. Beyond institutional architecture, BAM also sends an unequivocal message to the fossil and extractive industries, often protected by concentrated wealth and political influence, that the global shift away from fossil fuels will be shaped around people, fairness and rights, not polluters.
James Trinder, International Climate Policy Coordinator, said:
“COP30 must deliver a Just Transition that works for people and the planet. Early moves from a united G77 were promising, but so far the EU remains quiet on whether or not it will champion the call for a new international mechanism that turns promises into coordinated action. A real Just Transition needs a mechanism to ensure decent jobs, social protection, and fair access without delay to finance and technology, so that no one is left behind in the shift to a 1.5°C world.”
European fossil fuel lobby remains strong in Belém
Research published today by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition revealed that a staggering 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to COP30, a 12% increase from COP29. Fossil fuel lobbyists have received two thirds more passes to COP30 than all the delegates from the 10 most climate vulnerable nations combined (1061), highlighting how industry presence continues to dwarf that of those on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
At least 129 of the lobbyists were gifted their accreditation via official delegations of European countries and business associations. The biggest European offenders, who awarded badges to lobbyists through the ‘party overflow’ system, come from France (22), Sweden (18), Norway (17) and Denmark (11).
Chiara Martinelli, Director at CAN Europe, said:
“The influence of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP from European delegations is consistently undermining the EU’s ability to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement. You cannot solve a problem by giving more power to those that caused it. It should be applauded though, that following sustained pressure from the Fossil Free Politics campaign, for the second year running the European Commission delegation did not include any fossil fuel lobbyists as part of their COP delegation”
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Quotes from the CAN Europe network:
Kerstin Opfer, Senior Advisor Energy Policy and Civil Society Africa, Germanwatch
“The world cannot afford to lose momentum after COP28’s historic agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. COP30 must now turn commitments into action. Colombia is building support for a declaration on the transition away from fossil fuels — an initiative that needs broad backing, particularly from the EU. But this alone is not enough. COP30 must go further and agree on a roadmap for the fair, orderly, and equitable transition. A growing coalition — including Germany, Denmark, and France — is already backing this effort. The EU should join this coalition and help lead the world toward a clean energy future.”
Anton Jaekel, Policy Advisor – EU and German Climate Diplomacy & Foreign Policy, E3G
“As COP30 prepares for ministers to arrive, the EU can turn intent into influence as it did in the past: by coming forward with proactive and concrete proposals. The EU should engage constructively towards a COP outcome that doubles down on climate cooperation, accelerates emissions cuts, advances adaptation, and sets a clear course to scale finance and investments, signalling a shift from negotiation to implementation. The EU should join its member states Germany, France and Denmark in the growing coalition supporting a transition away from fossil fuels, and contribute to a meaningful outcome on adaptation, including adaptation finance. The EU can also play a key role in shaping the proposed “Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade”.
Ana Mulio Alvarez, Policy Advisor – UNFCCC and Adaptation, E3G
“As developing countries have made abundantly clear, adaptation finance must be a cornerstone of outcomes at COP30. With the Glasgow Pact to double adaptation finance expiring this year and the anticipated final adoption of the Global Goal on Adaptation, there is simply no better time to drive ambition. Together with its partners, the EU should step forward to lay out a path to provide predictability on adaptation finance going forward, including through the innovative sources of finance being launched at COP30. This is an opportunity to demonstrate leadership, build bridges, and ensure progress for global resilience.”
Hamdi Benslama, EU Advocacy Advisor, ActionAid International:
“The Global North’s climate debt keeps coming back to haunt it. In particular, the EU’s failure to step up on climate finance is undermining its leadership and ultimately its self-interest in climate negotiations. Without a clear commitment to pay up, the gap between its proclaimed climate ambitions and lack of tangible commitment will continue to be a stumbling block. The time for empty talk is over, financing for adaptation must be tripled, as countries hit hardest by climate change cannot continue to bear the brunt of a crisis they contributed the least to.”
Agnes Schim van der Loeff, Policy Advisor Climate Justice, ActionAid Netherlands
“If COP30 is to truly be the COP of inclusion and implementation, it needs to enable a global Just Transition that allows all countries to implement fair and inclusive climate action. Global South countries opened week 1 of negotiations with a strong collective proposal to turn Just Transition from paper principles to practice. This provides a real opportunity for COP30 to show the world that countries are really putting people at the heart of climate action. Without a Just Transition, we cannot achieve the ambitious climate action needed to keep the 1.5 goal alive.”
Mattias Söderberg, Global Climate Lead, DanChurchAid
“The missing agenda points have still not been addressed. COP30 must deliver both on finance and mitigation, and parties should move out of their fixed positions to unlock this stalemate. The climate crisis is happening now — there are no excuses for delay. The momentum for a clear target for adaptation finance is growing. Adaptation is urgently needed around the world, and a target is crucial to ensure scaled up funding”
John Nordbo – Senior Climate Change Advisor, CARE Denmark
“We are halfway through COP30, yet negotiations are barely inching forward. The same obstacles persist: weak climate plans and a chronic shortfall of climate finance. This is the moment for the EU to step up. Without predictable, grant-based finance, developing countries cannot raise their climate ambition — because there is no real climate action without real climate finance. As ministers arrive next week, they should be met with concrete text and clear options, not another round of circular discussions. Instead, talks are stalling, and powerful actors appear to be quietly steering us away from the ambition the world needs. If Europe leads on scaling up public finance — especially for adaptation — we can break the deadlock and get COP30 back on track.”
Marine Pouget, Policy Adviser for Global Governance, RAC France
“The COP opened five days ago in Belém, and the message is clear: our climate future is on the line. Global Stocktake 1 — meant to be the GPS of global climate action — has stalled since Baku. If countries don’t turn their 2023 promises into action, the whole process risks losing credibility. The countdown has begun: for GST2 to stay on track, it needs a solid scientific backbone, meaningful participatory formats such as people`s assemblies, and strong links to other negotiation tracks, like wagons in the same train. Without these connections, we stay stuck on the platform while the world expects us to move.”
Gaïa Febvre, Head of International Policy, RAC France
“By accrediting the largest number of fossil-fuel lobbyists among all EU countries, France is revealing its double standards: it is granting access to the very gravediggers of the Paris Agreement, even as it publicly declared today its support for a fossil-fuel phase-out roadmap proposed by President Lula. More broadly, the Kick Big Polluters Out report reminds us of the urgent need for the UNFCCC to finally adopt a robust conflict-of-interest policy. The solutions exist — they are within reach; what is missing is a clear political will to end the disproportionate influence of polluting industries over climate negotiations.”
Hilde Stroot, Climate Justice Policy Advisor, Oxfam
“COP30 must show that multilateralism can still deliver – we need to see clear signals of building bridges and overcoming differences. Justice should be at the heart of any outcome to show people they are not forgotten. Adaptation finance is a lifeline for many people in vulnerable positions, like afro-descendants here in Brazil, and we urge the EU to show leadership and to provide sufficient and predictable adaptation finance going forward. Just Transition is another lifeline, and communities, workers, and countries in vulnerable positions cannot not be excluded. This first week showed that many parties understand this by supporting our call for an international mechanism, but we still need the EU on board.”
Madeleine Alisa Wörner, Global Energy and International Climate Officer, Misereor
“The 30th UN Climate Conference could become a turning point. The global energy transition has the potential to be advanced as part of the many different societal transformations. It is good news that there are currently many proposals on the table for how the move away from fossil fuels can be pursued collectively and fairly. In the coming week, with greater political weight, it will become clearer which path will be taken to shape the COP turning point together. For Misereor as a development organization, it is particularly important that initiatives from countries of the Global South receive strong support.”
Read more:
- Anonymised data on the fossil fuel lobby present in Belém, researched by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition, can be found here.
- Next week, CAN Europe, together with the Fossil Free Politics campaign, will launch the Civil Society Pledge for Fossil Free Politics, a collective call to end fossil fuel influence in policymaking.
- The Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) for Just Transition is a new multilateral mechanism to orient the entire international system behind people-centred transitions at local and national levels, where workers and communities are in charge of decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods. The BAM must make funding and technical support accessible; coordinate just transition efforts within and beyond the UNFCCC; address the global rules that act as barriers to a Just Transition; build a global network of focal points for shared learning and collaboration; and ensure formal representation of rights-holders and groups made vulnerable.
- CAN Europe COP30 Media Briefing
COP30 Press Contact:
Tomas Spragg Nilsson
tomas.spraggnilsson@caneurope.org / +46 707 65 63 92
Jani Savolainen
jani.savolainen@caneurope.org / +358 504 66 78 31
