During his election campaign and first months in the White House, United States (US) President Joe Biden expressed his desire to renovate relations with historical allies like the European Union (EU). Another priority he voiced as part of his multilateral agenda was his commitment to combatting climate change and rejoining the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement after Donald Trump had decided to abandon it[1].
This change of direction from the previous Administration’s isolationist agenda and climate skepticism was very welcomed in EU countries and institutions. A month after Biden’s arrival in the White House, the European Commission proposed establishing a “transatlantic green trade agenda” based on “a shared transatlantic commitment to a net-zero emissions pathway by 2050”[2].
In this context, one of the most symbolic events of the renewed transatlantic alliance will be President Biden’s visit to Europe in mid-June. This will be the first official trip abroad for the U.S. president, who will attend several international summits including the G-7, NATO and the extraordinary U.S.-EU summit to discuss the future of the transatlantic agenda. In addition, later this year, the climate summit or COP26 will take place in Glasgow, where both powers will surely present their proposals and lead the negotiations. Therefore, looking at the COP26 summit, what are the EU and US climate agendas and opportunities for collaboration to achieve long-term green objectives?
Since her first day in office, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen pledged to put climate at the top of her agenda with the so-called European Green Deal, turning the EU into the first regional bloc to put forward ambitious and binding commitments on climate action[3]. This comprehensive program is the roadmap for a green transition that will help the EU to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, cutting emissions, creating jobs, and opening new opportunities[4].
Consequently, for the past year and a half the European executive –the European Commission– has launched several strategies comprised in the European Green Deal, ranging from biodiversity to energy efficiency. In addition, last month the EU’s legislators –the European Parliament and the Council of the EU– reached a provisional agreement on the European Climate Law, making legal obligations of the goals stipulated by the European Green Deal[5].
Ultimately, however, the swift implementation of these green objectives depends on EU’s 27 Member States, which have different or mixed track records on climate and fossil fuel dependency. Therefore, in order to “leave no one behind” in the green transition and in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Green Deal is backed by the Just Transition Mechanism, which will mobilize at least €150 billion over the period 2021-2027 in the most affected European regions. Alongside this Mechanism, the European Union’s institutions reached an agreement to mobilize €750 billion in recovery funds, dubbed NextGenerationEU, which have concrete conditionalities on climate and digitalization objectives, aiming to “lay the foundations for a modern and more sustainable Europe”[6].
Across the Atlantic, US President Joe Biden has framed the green transition as a catalyst for the renewal of the US economy and global leadership, as have his European partners. In this context, Biden has pushed for a $2 trillion plan –the American Jobs Plan– to create millions of jobs, rebuilding American infrastructure and transforming the economy[7].
Coupled with this plan, Biden intends to reach into every corner of the federal government with a draft executive order that will affect every sector of American industry, including banking and insurance, oil and gas, housing, agriculture and federal contracting, procurement and lending. This order –the Climate-Related Financial Risk– directs White House economic and climate advisors to work on a national strategy for measuring, mitigating and disclosing climate risks faced by federal agencies[8].
At the international level, Biden hosted an Earth Day climate summit with forty world leaders last April, where he called on countries to increase their climate targets to drive a transition to a more sustainable planet. At this event, the U.S. president advanced his commitment to a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and stressed the importance of COP26.
In short, considering the ambitious climate plans of the United States and the European Union, both regions face common challenges on the international stage. Both partners are now under considerable pressure due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on US and European economies and citizens. However, both partners have many areas to work together on, from deforestation in the Amazon to countering Chinese competition. Thus, the June US-EU summit is an opportunity to address complex climate dilemmas with complementary approaches in the run-up to COP26.
[1] ‘The Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice’, January 2019, https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/
[2] European Commission, ‘EU-US: A new transatlantic agenda for global change’, 2 December 2020, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_2279
[3] European Commission, ‘Turning challenge into opportunity on the course to becoming the first climate-neutral continent’, 13 December 2019, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/AC_19_6778
[4] Ibid
[5] European Council, ‘European climate law: Council and Parliament reach provisional agreement’, 5 May 2021, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2021/05/05/european-climate-law-council-and-parliament-reach-provisional-agreement/
[6] European Commission, ‘Recovery Plan for Europe’, May 2020, https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/recovery-plan-europe_en
[7] New York Times, ‘Biden Details $2 Trillion Plan to Rebuild Infrastructure and Reshape the Economy’, 30 March 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/business/economy/biden-infrastructure-plan.html
[8] Lorraine Woellert, POLITICO, ‘Biden prepares sweeping order on climate-related risks’, 14 April 2021, https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/15/biden-climate-risks-executive-order-481962
Pilar Roig Minguell
EU Public Affairs Consultant at Atrevia Brussels
