Bonn, 18 June 2026, Concluding today, the SB64 UNFCCC climate talks in Bonn have exposed the political tests governments must meet before COP31: delivering a strong Just Transition Mechanism, restoring trust in climate finance, strengthening mitigation cooperation, and turning the global commitment to transition away from fossil fuels into practical action.
Climate diplomacy is entering a decisive implementation phase. While there was progress in some areas of negotiation in Bonn, other areas remained blocked by weak political will, insufficient commitment from certain countries to go fossil-free, and concerns from many parties and observers about the socioeconomic consequences of an unjust or inequitable transition.
Just Transition
One of the clearest areas of progress was the moves towards operationalising the Belém Antalya Mechanism (BAM) for a Just Transition, a key expected outcome for COP31. The mechanism aims to provide a guiding framework on how countries can incorporate just transition considerations in their national climate actions on adaptation and transitioning away from fossil fuels. It will help shape just transition partnerships, climate finance delivery and equitable implementation pathways in the years ahead.
James Trinder, International Climate Policy Coordinator, CAN Europe said:
“Bonn showed that Just Transition is not a side issue, it is central to whether climate action can be delivered at the speed and scale required, without anyone being left behind. The EU should now build on the progress made here, work constructively with partners, and help secure a strong Just Transition Mechanism at COP31. This is not another fund, but will make sure finance reaches the right places to deliver national Just Transition initiatives. If done well, this could become one of the defining legacies of the summit.”
Climate Finance
The lack of progress in setting up the COP30-agreed work programme on climate finance in Bonn now risks pushing difficult and avoidable political fights into COP31. Greater clarity is urgently needed on how global north countries, including EU Member States, will meet their responsibilities and provide predictable, grant-based and accessible support. With the absence of the United States from the negotiating rooms, other nations feel emboldened to reduce their responsibilities. The EU simply cannot continue to claim climate leadership, while cutting climate and development finance or weakening support for countries already facing escalating climate impacts. The EU must now make good on the goal to triple adaptation finance by 2035 that they agreed to last year at COP30.
Sven Harmeling, Head of Climate, CAN Europe said:
“Climate finance is not an optional gesture of goodwill – it is the very foundation for global climate cooperation. Cuts to climate and development finance, as we see them happening in some EU Member States, send exactly the wrong signal, undermining trust, weakening implementation and making the road to COP31 even more complicated.”
Mitigation
The large majority of countries, including the EU, called in Bonn for strengthening the current mitigation work programme, in light of the persistent gap between current emissions pathways and what is required to keep the 1.5°C limit within reach. Scientific findings are clear that faster emissions reductions are necessary, feasible and will bring major benefits for health, energy security, jobs and affordability. Making fossil-fuel phase-out a reality is also fundamental to maintaining the credibility of international cooperation on mitigating emissions. The EU must urgently now deliver a framework on phase-out in line with its fair share of the carbon budget.
In Bonn, negotiations however, failed to deliver real progress, with some countries, including fossil fuel-dominated states, resisting a stronger and more concrete mandate. The work programme is not about imposing top-down prescriptions on countries, but about creating a more effective space for cooperation and practical solutions to deliver and implement Just Transitions at national level.
Türkiye
Outside the formal negotiating rooms, 94 civil society organisations from Türkiye and Australia urged their respective nation’s leaders to work together to make COP31 a turning point for the transition away from fossil fuels. Their call reflects a wider expectation that the COP31 presidencies use their combined diplomatic reach, alongside Pacific climate leadership, to make the “implementation era” real.
Proposals came from the Turkish COP31 presidency during the Bonn negotiations to work towards a global electrification target, as a complementary process to the Brazilian consultations on roadmaps for transitioning away from fossil fuels. This could help focus attention on critical sectors, but their credibility will depend on wide political buy-in, adequate finance, clear safeguards, and detailed design.
Özlem Katısöz, Senior Climate & Energy Policy Coordinator for Turkey, CAN Europe said:
“Electrification must be based on renewable energy and energy efficiency, not on prolonging fossil fuel use through new infrastructure or false solutions. Similarly, any roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels must be aligned with the 1.5°C limit, equity, international cooperation, and the needs of affected workers and communities”.
The coming days and months will be critical. London Climate Action Week next week will bring together governments, businesses, cities, civil society and experts to address barriers to implementation. The Ministerial on Climate Action, hosted by the EU in Brussels and co-convened with China and Canada on 22–23 June, will be another important moment to rebuild trust and give political direction. Further preparatory meetings for COP31 must then turn these signals into concrete negotiating outcomes.
ENDS
For more information and media requests:
Tomas Spragg Nilsson, Senior Communications Coordinator
tomas.spraggnilsson@caneurope.org | +46 707 56 63 92