EU rewrites climate diplomacy playbook as geopolitics gets tougher
The European Union is adapting its climate negotiating tactics to compete in a more hostile geopolitical environment, according to new research. While Brussels remains committed to aggressive climate action, it's shifted how it narrates, coordinates, and deploys its diplomatic influence—a strategic recalibration that signals climate leadership now requires playing hardball.
Originaltitel: The European Union Climate Diplomacy: Evolving Practices in a Changing Geopolitical Context
<p>The European Union (EU) has systematically promoted global climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. Since the 1990s, despite varying success in international climate negotiations, it has sought to take a leadership role in global climate politics. Internal consolidation of environmental and climate policies has enhanced EU policy coherence and strengthened its ability to influence international efforts to mitigate climate change. Globally, however, the picture is marred by geopolitical competition, rendering the context of global climate politics less propitious for the EU’s climate leadership. This article examines how the EU’s climate diplomacy is adapting to an increasingly complex international context. It finds that while the EU climate action is still premised on the deep-seated beliefs of the EU’s ambitious approach to climate, the practices of EU climate diplomacy have adapted to a changing geopolitical context. This evolution is traced through a set of key diplomatic practices: narration, co-ordination, outreach and mainstreaming.</p>