Climate, Energy & Natural Resources

In 2024, we enter the mid-period of the decade of decisive climate action. The middle-half of this decade is a time for reflection, for renewing a commitment to meet the interim targets set for 2030 and for shifting political and business mindsets from ambition to implementation.

As we prepare for European elections in June 2024 and, subsequently, mark the beginning of a new institutional cycle, the role for the landmark Green Deal remains unclear in the face of political opposition, which has grown in 2022 and 2023. Despite the climate policy gains of the last five years, it appears as though support for Europe’s ‘man on the moon’ moment is slipping.

Friends of Europe will address this challenge by helping to reframe the discussion. Realising our 2030 and 2050 targets requires a rethink in how we communicate this journey. We argue that the transformation of the EU into a modern, net-zero and resource-efficient economy is not only essential if we are to play our role in limiting global warming but, if done in a just and equitable manner, presents abundant opportunities for citizens, businesses and our Union on the world stage.

The current EU mandate has introduced a wide range of legislation with the aim of making the Union fit for net-zero and more resilient to shocks. The next mandate will need to ensure that these measures are implemented in a coherent manner and that such new laws work as intended, all while dealing with a panoply of other challenges.

The Europe of 2024 barely resembles the Europe of 2019. Escalating global geopolitical tensions, hardening international geo-economic competition and the shocking social consequences of inflation are just three factors of the contemporary landscape that will undoubtedly inform the progress of the ecological transformation.

As we move to the mid-point of this critical decade for the ecological transformation, Friends of Europe will emphasise the importance of narrative in building support for this paradigm shift. We will endorse the implementation of new climate legislative measures and scrutinise the efficacy of such laws. We will reinforce the need for coherent and joined-up decision-making so that Europe can advance to meet its 2030 targets and accelerate to climate neutrality.

To support our activities, we will establish an organised expert network on climate, energy and natural resources. This group will strengthen our repository of collective wisdom in these critical policy domains and feed into our analytical work throughout the year.