Today (April 24, 2023), the EU and Norway have established a Green Alliance to strengthen their joint climate action, environmental protection efforts, and cooperation on the clean energy and industrial transition. The agreement was signed in Brussels by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre.
President von der Leyen said: “Norway is a long-standing and reliable partner to the EU and we share a common vision for building a climate-neutral continent. We want our societies and economies to prosper together while reducing emissions, protecting nature, decarbonising our energy systems, and greening our industries. This Green Alliance makes our bond even stronger and allows us to design a better future together.”
Both sides reiterate their commitment to their respective 2030 targets of at least 55% greenhouse gas emission reductions compared to 1990, and to achieving climate neutrality at the latest by 2050. They aim to keep global temperature rise within the 1.5C limit under the Paris Agreement while ensuring energy security, environmental protection and human rights. The EU and Norway will work closely together to ensure the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement and the historic biodiversity agreement reached at the UN Biodiversity conference COP15.
The EU-Norway Green Alliance, prepared and negotiated under the auspices of Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans, will focus on the following priority areas:
- strengthening efforts to combat climate change including cooperation on climate adaptation, carbon pricing, carbon removals, and carbon capture, transport, utilisation and storage;
- increasing cooperation on environmental issues with a focus on halting and reversing biodiversity loss, forest degradation and deforestation, promoting circular economy and addressing the full life cycle of plastics, the development of global standards for the management of chemicals and waste and sustainable ocean management;
- supporting the green industrial transition and further enhancing political and industrial cooperation through strategic partnerships, such as a future Strategic Partnership on Sustainable Raw Materials and Batteries Value Chains;
- accelerating the clean energy transition with a focus on hydrogen and offshore renewable energy.
- decarbonising the transport sector across all modes of transport, with special regard to zero GHG emission and zero pollution shipping;
- increasing regulatory and business cooperation to set global standards for the innovative environmental solutions required to accelerate the transition to circular and net-zero economies;
- consolidating existing collaboration on research, education, and innovation in the areas of decarbonisation, renewable energy, and bioeconomy;
- working together to promote sustainable finance and investments to set Europe on a pathway to an environmentally sustainable, climate-neutral and climate resilient economy.
A Green Alliance is the most comprehensive form of bilateral engagement established under the European Green Deal, with both parties committing to climate neutrality and to aligning their domestic and international climate policies to pursue this goal. This is only the second agreement of its kind, following the EU-Japan Green Alliance signed in 2021. The EU and Norway also agree to jointly promote ambitious climate action on the global stage. To this end, the two parties, as leading major donors of climate finance, will cooperate to support developing countries and emerging economies in the process of implementation of their climate and environment policies. To help keep global temperature rise within the 1.5C limit, the agreement confirms that full respect for the precautionary principle is paramount in the Arctic region.
For More Information
EU-Norway Green Alliance text – available below
Quote(s)
Norway is a long-standing and reliable partner to the EU and we share a common vision for building a climate-neutral continent. We want our societies and economies to prosper together while reducing emissions, protecting nature, decarbonising our energy systems, and greening our industries. This Green Alliance makes our bond even stronger and allows us to design a better future together.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission – 23/04/2023
Norway is our neighbour, our ally, and our partner. This Green Alliance is built on strongly shared values and a mutual deep commitment to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises. Together, we will work to move things forward on every aspect of our green transition: from renewable energy, clean transport, and raw materials to deforestation, fisheries, plastics and the circular economy. As this is a global quest, we will also join forces to convince our global partners to follow suit. I’m very pleased to be working side-by-side with Norway on a greener, healthier future for all of humanity.
Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal – 23/04/2023
IMAGE (above): Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Norway sign the EU-Noway Green Alliance at a press conference on April 24, 2023. (Credit: European Commission Youtube Page)