President von der Leyen reaffirms EU climate leadership and ambition at COP30 opening in Brazil
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attended the opening of the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, where she reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Von der Leyen underlined that the EU remains on track to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and has now presented a new target to reduce emissions by 66–72.5% by 2035. Member States also agreed on a legally binding 90% reduction by 2040, marking another step in Europe’s green transition.
In her speech, the President called for tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, emphasizing that renewables now represent 95% of new global energy capacity. She also highlighted the need for a fair transition, noting that only 2% of global clean energy investment in 2024 went to Africa.
To help close this gap, von der Leyen announced a pledging summit in Johannesburg on 21 November, part of the “Scaling Up Renewables in Africa” campaign, which aims to boost investment and expand electricity access across the continent.
Additionally, she endorsed the Leaders Declaration on Carbon Markets and met with several global leaders, including Brazil’s President Lula da Silva and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, to strengthen international climate cooperation.
Source: European Comission
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