Brussels, 30 January 2023
Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, concludes today a three-day visit in Mexico as part of a Latin American climate diplomacy mission that has brought him to Brazil and Colombia last week. In all three countries, the Executive Vice-President has participated in meetings with government authorities, stakeholders and civil society to prepare the forthcoming COP28 UN Climate Change Conference and learn the latest developments in those countries in terms of environmental protection, uptake of renewable energies and emissions reductions.
Today in Mexico, he will have bilateral meetings with Marcelo Ebrard, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mexico, who will be accompanied by Lázaro Cárdenas, Chief Advisor to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador; with María Luisa Albores, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources; and with Raquel Buenrostro, Minister of Economy accompanied by Alejandro Encinas, Vice-Minister for International Trade. In the afternoon, he will hold a youth dialogue with students and climate ambassadors at ITAM University (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México). On Saturday, he met with civil society, business representatives, and think tanks to exchange views on the country’s green transition. On Sunday in Xochimilco, he visited an agroecological project financed by the EU, together with representatives from the NGO Pronatura.
During his visit to Brazil, Executive Vice-President Timmermans had the opportunity to talk about the country’s green plans with Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva, among other government representatives. He stressed that the EU will work closely with Brazil to make COP28 a success and support the country’s zero deforestation target.
His visit to Colombia allowed Executive Vice-President Timmermans to meet with several ministers, including Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad; Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Arturo Luna; and Energy and Mines Minister, Irene Vélez. The EU and Colombia are natural partners in the fight against the climate and biodiversity crises. Both sides will work closely together to prepare for the UN Climate conference this November. More information can be found in the Executive Vice-President’s calendar.
Source – EU Commission