Resolution on the 2026 UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Türkiye (COP31)

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the 2026 UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Türkiye (COP31).

State of the global climate and the need for urgent action ahead of COP31 in Antalya

Parliament highlighted that 2025 was among the hottest years on record and that each of the previous 10 years ranked among the 10 hottest, noting that Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent. It warned that an exceptionally strong El Niño in 2026 and 2027, exacerbated by climate change, could intensify humanitarian crises, particularly affecting food security and water availability. Parliament stressed that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C, with no or minimal overshoot, requires deep, rapid and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43 % by 2030 and 60 % by 2035 compared with 2019 levels, reaching global net-zero emissions by 2050 and net-negative emissions thereafter.

Global stocktake, NDCs and COP31 in Antalya

Parliament regretted that the February 2025 deadline for submitting nationally determined contributions (NDCs) setting 2035 targets was missed by the vast majority of parties, including the EU, with only a fraction of parties having submitted their targets by the original deadline. It welcomed the fact that, as of COP30 in Belém, 108 countries covering 71 % of global emissions had ultimately submitted new NDCs, while acknowledging that significant gaps remain.

It underlined the EU’s commitment to transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030, as agreed in Dubai at the COP28 and confirmed at the COP30. It remains concerned about insufficient progress towards these targets. It is essential that COP31 builds on them, takes concrete decisions on their implementation and undertakes additional measures to close the ambition gap.

The resolution underlined the crucial role played by multilateralism to address the need for urgent action. It strongly regretted the decision by the US Government to withdraw, for the second time, from the Paris Agreement and reiterated its call for the United States to reconsider its withdrawal, to contribute its fair share to the global effort to tackle climate change and to support global climate finance in line with the Paris Agreement.

Transitioning away from fossil fuels

The resolution urged all parties to advance the roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels, as agreed at the previous climate conference, COP30. Members called on the EU to take a leading role in the negotiations towards a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and for time-bound plans to phase out fossil fuel subsidies and production, urging the EU to lead by example with its own timeline and strategy for an economy-wide phase-out. They also 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.

International climate finance and sustainable finance

Members stressed that the gap in global climate finance between what is needed and what is currently provided is significant and growing and called for this gap to be urgently addressed. They emphasised that the provision of adequate climate finance is crucial for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. Existing levels of climate finance remain insufficient to meet the scale of global mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage needs. Therefore, the EU and the Member States are called on to continue increasing climate finance contributions in particular through grants and highly concessional finance. The resolution warned against double-counting or re-categorising existing funds to meet the new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG).

EU climate policy aligned with the Paris Agreement

Parliament stressed that the EU is on course to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by only around 54 % by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, even if Member States fully implement existing and planned measures. It called on Member States to address this shortfall and, on the Commission, to provide additional support. Parliament reiterated the need to integrate climate ambition across all EU policies and implementing measures and urged Member States and the Commission to ensure that national energy and climate plans and long-term strategies provide sufficient action and financial means to achieve EU climate targets for 2030 and beyond.

Parliament underlined that the credibility of the EU’s international climate commitments depends on adequate funding under the next multiannual financial framework (MFF). It called for climate, environmental and biodiversity objectives to remain central to the next MFF, supported by an ambitious climate mainstreaming target across EU spending and external action instruments. It also stressed that the future Global Europe instrument should support climate adaptation, resilience and biodiversity protection, particularly in least developed countries and climate-vulnerable regions, while maintaining poverty reduction as a core objective of EU external action.

Transport sector

Parliament noted with concern that the transport sector is the only sector in which emissions have risen at EU level since 1990 and that steeper reductions will be needed to meet the EU’s climate goals. It stressed the need for the aviation sector to align with global climate goals. It reiterated its call on the Commission to ensure the social fairness of transport decarbonisation measures, including by incorporating emissions from superyachts, private jets and business planes into EU climate policies. It reiterated, furthermore, its call on all the Parties, including the EU Member States, to take measures to discourage the use of private jets.

Energy

Parliament welcomed the adoption of the EU Electrification Action Plan and called on the Commission to propose an ambitious EU-wide electrification target in addition to ambitious EU targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency. The resolution expressed concern over the increasing energy demand and GHG emissions associated with data centres and digital infrastructure, driven by accelerated digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) deployment, and growing data storage and processing needs. It stressed that without regulatory measures, efficiency gains and clean energy deployment risk being outpaced by absolute growth in electricity consumption, as is projected in a number of Member States.

Role of the European Parliament at COP31

According to the resolution, Parliament should be an integral part of the EU delegation at COP31, given that it must give its consent to international agreements and that it plays a central role in the implementation at EU level of the Paris Agreement as one of the EU’s colegislators. It expects, therefore, to be allowed to attend EU coordination meetings at COP31 in Antalya and to be guaranteed access to all preparatory documents in good time.