EU backs deal but slams lack of ambition – DW – 11/22/2025

Germany’s Environment Minister Carsten Schneider has said he is “a little disappointed” that the UN climate summit has failed to agree on a phaseout of fossil fuels.

Schneider told reporters that the EU and its allies had found stiff opposition from a “very strong” coalition of oil-producing nations.

The EU’s decision to back the draft agreement is “by no means a step backward, but rather an intermediate step,” the minister said.

He added that Germany and the EU would continue working on forging “alliances” to continue the push to phase out fossil fuels.

EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has confirmed that the bloc would not stand in the way of a deal at the COP 30 summit in Brazil.

“It’s crystal clear that it was an intense and sometimes difficult week and also evening,” EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told reporters in Belem.

“Even though the statement is formally not yet out, we have of course seen the pre-final version, and there’s a lot that we would have liked to have more. Climate and climate change needs more battling, more action, more delivery,” Wopke said.

“And that is why we have been pushing for that, because the EU needs more, because the world needs more.”

“And in the end when you see what is on the table, we do think that we should support it,” the EU’s climate chief said.

“We should support it because it is at least going in the right direction, because it is very clear that we should stand shoulder to shoulder with our friends from the poorest nations,” Hoekstra added.

The European Union says work is underway to secure a positive outcome at the COP30 climate talks in Brazil.

“Working very hard to secure a positive outcome of @Cop30noBrasil,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X.

“In the margins of G20, we work to cross the finish line with a successful result. One that matches the scale of the challenges facing our planet. We want to make Bélem a success. We are with you, @LulaOficial,” the EU chief said, appearing to back up earlier reports that the EU would not oppose a tentative deal. 

The UN Climate Change Conference ran into overtime after representatives from about 200 countries failed to agree on a draft deal proposed by host nation Brazil.

More than 80 countries, among them Germany, are pushing to phase out fossil fuels, a move strongly opposed by oil-producing countries.

We’re into overtime now at the 30th annual UN climate conference, which was set to end on Friday.

The summit was extended after delegates failed to to seal a deal on phasing out fossil fuels, although there are reports emerging that there has been some progress.

We will bring you the latest developments as well as analysis and background from DW.

The UN Climate Change Conference is set to extend talks after representatives from about 200 countries failed to agree on a draft deal proposed by host nation Brazil.

Debate is particularly fierce over whether the deal should include a reference to phasing out fossil fuels.

More than 80 countries, including Germany, are pushing for a plan to phase out fossil fuels, a move strongly opposed by oil-producing countries.

Negotiators remained in closed-door meetings Friday as they worked to bridge differences.

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider told DW that negotiators were still working hard.

Earlier, COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago told delegates there “cannot be an agenda that divides us.”

“We must reach an agreement between us.”

Burning fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases, the largest contributors to global warming.

A political consensus on climate protection, reducing global emissions and establishing a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels remains elusive at COP30, which has entered its final day.

Faced with the impasse at the summit in Belem, members of civil society were holding a “People’s Plenary” to repeat what their demands for the summit in Brazil, which centered on climate justice and indigenous rights, among other issues.

During the session, young people from around the world highlighted the challenges they face living in countries that are the most vulnerable to climate change.

One speaker, Roaa Ahmed Elobeid Dafaallah from Sudan, received a standing ovation after she spoke about losing her home during the civil war in the country and the sexual violence that young girls are suffering as a result of the conflict.

Close to the COP30 venue in Belem, Brazil, degraded farmland is transformed back into thriving ecosystems.

French start-up MORFO uses drones to plant native seeds, restoring thousands of hectares of the Amazon forest.

Carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is causing climate change. 

From renewables and green tech to tackling deforestation, what will it take to turn the tide on emissions?

Read our full report to find out more about how to reduce CO2 emissions.

Wopke Hoekstra, the EU’s climate commissioner, has also responded to the lack of reference to fossil fuels in the draft deal text revealed on Friday, the last planned day of the summit.

“This is in no way close to the ambition we need on mitigation,” Hoekstra said.

“We are disappointed with the text currently on the table. We are willing to be ambitious on adaptation, but we would like to make clear that any language on finance should squarely be within the commitment reached last year” at COP29 in Azerbaijan.

The previous climate conference saw rich countries agree to provide $300 billion (€260 billion) in annual climate finance.

Colombia has written a letter to the Brazilian presidency lamenting the removal of an ambitious fossil fuel phaseout from the COP30 draft agreement.

The letter was signed by more than 30 countries, including Germany, France, the UK, and Australia, which will be leading negotiations at next year’s COP31 in Turkey.

“We express deep concern regarding the current proposal under consideration for a take it or leave it,” the letter read.

“In its present form, the proposal does not meet the minimum conditions required for a credible COP outcome,” the declaration continued.

“We cannot support an outcome that does not include a roadmap for implementing a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.”

“We respectfully yet firmly request that the Presidency present a revised proposal that reflects the views of the majority and restores balance, ambition, and credibility to the process. We stand ready to work constructively with you toward such an outcome.”

Tackling climate change can sometimes appear too complex to understand, but there are a few key data points that will help you better grasp the problem.

For example, this chart shows you how despite emissions stabilizing in Europe and America, there is still a long way to go to decarbonizing global economies.

DW has put together a collection with this and nine other visuals to help you understand climate change.

As the COP30 climate talks enter their final day, discussions are heating up as negotiators try to reach consensus on a final agreement.

This year’s summit has the goal of turning previous promises into concrete plans.

Following the disappearance of a reference to the phasing out of fossil fuels from the draft text of the COP30 agreement, Germany has made a call for the deal to be strengthened.

“We want to have a clear roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels,” German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider told broadcaster RTL/ntv.

Germany joined several other countries in criticizing the latest version of the deal in a letter to the Brazilian presidency of the summit.

The letter warned that, “in its present form, the proposal does not meet the minimum conditions required for a credible COP outcome.”

“We cannot support an outcome that does not include a roadmap for implementing a just, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels,” the letter said, warning this would represent a “step backward.”

In the final hours of UN climate summit talks in Brazil, negotiators are pushing to bridge divides on key issues, including finance and moving away from coal, oil and gas.

However, the latest draft text omits the mention of a roadmap to move away from burning the fossil fuels.

Deep divisions have emerged between countries who support a road map, and a significant bloc, including petro-states such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, firmly opposed to the phase-out.

Fossil fuels are the main driving force behind the changes to the climate and are leading to increased drought, flooding, storms and deadly heat.

Read DW’s report to find out why fossil fuels were removed from the COP30 roadmap.