To: Foreign Affairs Ministers; High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP)
At a time of escalating climate impacts, profound geopolitical instability and growing fragmentation, the European Union’s ability to set out and implement a vision on climate and energy cooperation – strengthening trusted partnerships; boosting economic resilience and energy security; accelerating a just and inclusive global transition away from fossil fuels; ensuring that renewable energy systems are built on high environmental and social standards; advancing gender equality and local value creation; and providing workers and communities with secure and affordable clean energy – in line with the EU’s existing commitments, matters more than ever.
We are writing on behalf of CAN Europe to encourage your support, through the Foreign Affairs Council, the Energy Council, and the Environment Council, for an ambitious approach to both the Global Climate and Energy Vision (GCEV) and the First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia (28-29 April 2026).
Global Climate and Energy Vision (GCEV)
The Joint Communication on the GCEV offers a timely opportunity to support the delivery of the Global Stocktake agreed outcomes, and strengthen more coordinated EU climate diplomacy, resulting in increased effectiveness in international processes. Its emphasis on transitioning away from fossil fuels will be instrumental to long-term success of the EU’s partnerships and engagement in multilateral processes. Such a transition would ensure greater energy and economic security by not relying on costly and increasingly weaponised fossil fuel imports.
We see a number of elements in the Vision as central, including:
- Scaled-up financing via Global Europe;
- Reform of global financial institutions, new innovative sources of international climate finance including from the fossil fuel industry;
- Supporting EU business to help deliver the global challenge of industrial decarbonization, prioritising emergence of and cooperation with green local businesses in partner countries;
- Expansion of mutually beneficial partnerships;
- Emphasis on global energy goals, and transitioning away from fossil fuels;
- Increasing investment in adaptation and resilience in partner countries;
- Pursuing a global just transition away from fossil fuels, that strengthens local value chains – including for raw materials – and ensures high environmental and social protections.
We therefore urge the Council to adopt Conclusions in the Foreign Affairs, Energy or Environment Council formations that translate these elements of the Vision into implementation priorities, a timeline, and next steps; providing a clear political mandate for increased EU external climate and energy action.
First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels
We encourage invited Member States to engage constructively at Ministerial level and to support the development of an ambitious and unified EU approach through Council discussions and diplomatic engagement, recognising the Conference and the longer-term process it may kick off as a significant turning point in the global transition away from fossil fuels in a fast, fair, and funded manner.
We see two priorities as particularly important:
- High-level political engagement. Ministerial engagement from EU Member States will be essential to ensure that these processes carry the necessary credibility, and to reinforce the EU’s role as a reliable partner internationally.
- Arriving with substance. The Conference provides an opportunity for EU Member States to contribute concrete announcements, forward-looking commitments, and constructive engagement in shaping follow-up pathways — including feeding into the Brazilian COP30 Presidency fossil fuel phase-out roadmap, advancing the EU’s own roadmap in support of the Global Stocktake outcomes and the objectives of the GCEV.
Policy asks for Conference:
CAN Europe would like to see EU Ministers advance global and coalition efforts, as well as progress on EU pathways:
- Engaging in the Brazil COP30 Presidency-led process on a Global Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Roadmap to deliver a just and adequately financed transition away from fossil fuels, and delivering on the global energy targets, and crucially, joining the coalition of willing countries committing to clear timelines to end fossil fuel expansion and phase out production and use;
- Accelerating European fossil fuel phase-out, in particular fossil gas through a clear strategy and commitment for a fossil gas phase-out – building on significant gas demand reduction achieved in past years and the RePowerEU regulation to phase out Russian fossil gas imports to the EU by 2027
- Committing to scale up international public climate finance, including by developed countries announcing their planned contributions to climate finance over the 2026-2035 period to fulfil the $300 billion target of the NCQG; and increasing fiscal space in developing countries by addressing sovereign debt which exacerbates fossil fuel lock-in;
- Committing to address fossil fuel taxation in the UN Tax Convention and an EU-wide fossil fuel profit tax, and delivering a binding and harmonised EU framework to phase out fossil fuel subsidies as soon as possible, through a consistent approach covering the Governance Regulation, EU budget, State Aid Framework, and Energy Taxation Directive, and better use of the European Semester process;
- Tackling the incompatibility of Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and the Investment Court System (ICS) with a just transition, including through the termination of (or removal of ISDS provisions from) existing treaties, and the neutralisation of sunset clauses and excluding all forms of ISDS from new agreements;
We strongly encourage your ministry to engage actively and to coordinate across foreign affairs, finance, climate, and energy portfolios to ensure a coherent and visible EU contribution. CAN Europe and our members stand ready to support further exchanges and to provide technical input to your teams as preparations advance.
We look forward to continued EU engagement in these critical international processes.
Yours sincerely,
Chiara Martinelli
Read the full letter here.