International

Building international partnerships to strengthen the climate transition in Europe and worldwide

Europe plays a catalytic role in advancing the world’s climate objectives. In addition to reducing its own emissions, it also supports the global climate transition through diplomacy and cooperation with other countries and regions on issues such as finance, trade, investment, and sustainable supply chains.

We work with partners in Europe and around the world to build the international conditions for climate progress. Our focus is on ensuring Europe delivers on its commitments to rebuild credibility and leadership, and on developing the alliances, trade frameworks, and governance structures that can hold global ambition together. As international cooperation becomes more complex, we also support work with cities, regions, and parliamentarians to strengthen climate leadership and implementation capacity at sub-national level.

Our international work is closely integrated with other priority areas — from climate finance and trade to fossil-free energy, raw materials, and industrial strategy. This means our efforts connect from the local and national to the European to the global level, reinforcing each other rather than operating in isolation.

Global Engagement

EU-US diplomatic dialogues

The ECF co-convenes an EU-US High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change, bringing together key decision makers and thought leaders from Europe and the United States to tackle the big issues on the path to net zero. The dialogues, which started in 2020, follow the Chatham House rule and serve as a safe space to identify opportunities for joint action and devise collaborative solutions. Discussion topics include the Green Deal, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), reforming multilateral development banks and debt architecture, transition minerals, and transatlantic industrial policy and trade implications. Going forward, we are preparing new climate dialogues between decision makers from the EU and other parts of the world, with a focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America.