On 11 September, the European Commission  adopted a Communication reaffirming the EU’s commitment to accelerated climate ambition. Preparing for the Climate Action Summit by the United Nations Secretary General in New York on 23 September, the Commission recalls that the European Union has been at the forefront of global climate action, negotiating an inclusive international framework to respond to this challenge, while acting domestically with unity, speed and decisiveness.

Following the recent elections to the European Parliament and the formation of the new European Commission, the EU will pursue the domestic debate on how to further raise ambition and to achieve the goals that have been set, while leaving no people or regions behind. Our expectation is that we will continue to take further bold and ambitious actions building on our significant achievements so far. Climate action indeed features prominently in the Political guidelines of the Commission President-Elect Ursula von der Leyen as part of the proposal for a European Green Deal aiming at making the EU the world’s first climate neutral continent12. The threefold goal of 1) firming up the long-term objective of climate neutrality by 2050 in binding legislation, 2) increasing climate ambition in the short to medium-term, in synergy with preserving Europe’s natural environment and 3) strengthening international action to encourage third countries to greater ambition in fighting climate change will be a key priority for the incoming Commission.

• View the Communication on the 2019 Climate Action Summit hosted by the United Nations Secretary General in New York.
• View the speech by VP Šef?ovi?.