Environmental diplomacy: EU and Colombia step up co-operation for nature, climate and sustainable development

On 14 February, Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius signed together with his counterpart Colombian Environment Minister Carlos Eduardo Correa (pictured) the EU-Colombia Joint Declaration on Environment, Climate Action and Sustainable Development. The Declaration focuses on key shared priorities such as climate action, biodiversity and ecosystems conservation, disaster risk reduction, the fight against deforestation, circular economy, sustainable blue economy, and plastic pollution. It was signed during an official visit of the Colombian delegation to Brussels where President Ursula von der Leyen exchanged with Iván Duque, President of Colombia, on the full bilateral agenda, including sustainability and the implementation of the European Green Deal.

President von der Leyen said: “Colombia is an indispensable partner in the fight against climate change and in our action for the environment. The EU and Colombia will work hand in hand on our green agenda and today's declaration is another important step in that direction.” Signing the declaration, Commissioner Sinkevičius said: “Global goals can only be achieved if countries around the world work together. With today's declaration between the EU and Colombia we move one step further in the green transformation we need. We both want an ambitious global biodiversity agreement at COP15 this year.”

The declaration is an important signal ahead of upcoming milestones in multilateral processes, such as the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi later this month, and the COP15 summit under the Convention on Biological Diversity later this year. You can find the President's statement on that occasion here and on EbS. Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans,also participated together with President Duque in a joint high-level event on ‘Approaches from the Pact for Sustainability and the Green Deal', discussing the EU's and Colombia's green recovery policies and the potential for further EU-Colombia cooperation on the global green transition. More information in this news item.

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