COP30: the EU’s disappointing summit

Brussels clearly didn’t get what it wanted from the COP30 summit in Brazil, which ended on 22 November with a bare-bones deal that fails to raise climate ambitions. In the inevitable post mortem, observers ascribe that failure variously to an overly transparent stance, or to the rise of the BRICS alliance. From Belém, Contexte reporters pore over the tea leaves.
24 November 2025 at 8h00
Energy
EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra at the COP30 closing plenary in Brazil. PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP
by Damien Genicot, Victor Roux-Goeken

The EU clearly didn’t get what it wanted from the COP30 climate summit in Belém — which, in particular, failed to agree to put a roadmap on the transition from fossil fuels into UN law.

In the inevitable post mortem, critics are pointing to a range of reasons for that disappointing outcome: the EU was too focused on its own internal debates, unable to face a resurgent and strong alliance of emerging economies — or even overly transparent.

Buried fossils…

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COP30 closes, with a whimper COP30 closes, with a whimper
Ueslei Marcelino/COP30
Leak
Document

COP30 closes, with a whimper

Despite calls from the EU and others, the main text adopted by the UN climate summit held in Belém, Brazil, does not explicitly mention fossil fuels. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the deal strengthens rich countries’ aid for climate adaptation, but remains vague on unilateral trade measures.
COP30 Brazil
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Climate adaptation
COP30 diary: Europe under fire over CBAM COP30 diary: Europe under fire over CBAM
PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP
Leak

COP30 diary: Europe under fire over CBAM

Already struggling to make the case that it’s still a leader on climate, the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism is a particular target for accusations from the Global South of European hypocrisy and bad faith. Contexte correspondents in Belém take a closer look as COP30 enters its final days.
COP30 Brazil
COP30: What to expect from Brazil’s tricky summit COP30: What to expect from Brazil’s tricky summit
KAY NIETFELD/DPA/SIPA
In depth

COP30: What to expect from Brazil’s tricky summit

The UN gathering in the Amazonian city of Belém is beset by hurdles, not least because of concerns that US climate scepticism will prove contagious. The era of international climate rulemaking may be over, but the hosts retain an optimistic tone.
COP30 Brazil
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Climate change
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Climate adaptation
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Emissions reduction
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CO2 emissions

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