The Role of Climate and Energy Diplomacy in Promoting Sustainability in EU External Relations Law

Environmental and climate diplomacies have become key external policy agendas for the European Union (EU). Climate change policy and governance are major fields where the EU seeks to broaden its external influence. EU climate diplomacy policy can be divided into three overlapping spheres: participation in global climate negotiations; promotion of ambitious domestic climate legislation and policies beyond the EU borders; and initiatives for climate cooperation and partnerships with third countries. As a framework for these actions, the EU has developed a solid climate diplomacy policy: a series of Council Conclusions on the theme have been adopted since 2008. Interestingly, energy diplomacy was coupled with climate diplomacy in the Council Conclusions in 2021, and the linkage was further strengthened in the new set of Council Conclusions in 2023. The, by now, rather well-established EU climate and energy diplomacy policy is part of the external dimension of the European Green Deal (EGD). It also underlines the inherent nexus thinking that is part and parcel of the EGD. The climate and energy diplomacy policy has called for a stronger mainstreaming of climate and energy diplomacy considerations in all areas of EU external action, including its foreign and security policy and development cooperation.