EU Commissioner Hoekstra prepares for climate talks in Saudi Arabia and UAE

Brussels, 27 October 2023

On 30-31 October, Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra will attend the Pre-COP28 meeting in Abu Dhabi. Just one month ahead of the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference (30 November – 12 December), these discussions are a key opportunity for ministers from across the globe to come together and pave the way for a successful COP28 outcome, including the first Global Stocktake of the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Prior to arriving at the Pre-COP, the Commissioner will visit Saudi Arabia on 29 October. On Sunday, Commissioner Hoekstra will meet bilaterally with the Minister of Energy, HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al-Saud; and the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry.

On Monday, the Commissioner will participate in a Plenary Roundtable on ‘Pathways to 2030: What must a transformation that leaves no one behind look like?’. He will take part in sessions on ‘Prioritising people, lives and livelihoods; Fast-Tracking the Energy Transition’; and ‘Transforming Climate Finance’. He will take part in the dedicated Ministerial Consultation on Adaptation together with the Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain, Teresa Ribera; the Minister for the Environment of Chile, Maisa Rojas; the Minister for Climate Change and Energy of Australia, Jenny McAllister; and the Minister of Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs of South Africa, Barbara Creecy – among others.

On Tuesday, Commissioner Hoekstra will meet with COP28 President-designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber. He will also meet the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore, Grace Fu; and continue his bilateral discussions with other ministers. He will attend three roundtables on: an ‘Inclusive COP’; ‘Operationalising the Loss and Damage Fund and Funding Arrangements’; and ‘Towards a Transformational Global Stocktake’.

The EU adopted its negotiating mandate for COP28 at the Environment Council of 16 October, and has agreed an update of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which reflects the planned implementation of its ‘Fit for 55′ legislation. Ahead of the Global Stocktake, the Commission is hosting today ‘The European Climate Stocktake‘, an event to reflect on the EU’s contribution towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and to hear from civil society and international partners. The opening keynote speech of the event was delivered by Commissioner Hoekstra.