Integrating Environment into EU External Relations

Environment issues are increasingly acknowledged by the international and diplomatic communities due to the growing interdependencies with other policy fields such as trade, security, conflict prevention and migration.

The EU has played a key role as a proponent of international environmental action and co-operation. It is a party to the Rio Conventions of 1992 which were a major achievement for environmental protection. The EU is also a party to a number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements which usually include a commitment to help developing countries in implementation of these agreements.

Climate change, in particular has become a priority in EU relations with third countries. It is evident that the EU cannot act alone and that a global concerted effort is needed in order to respond to the challenges that climate change presents. An effective diplomatic effort is therefore vital so as to ensure that the impacts of climate change, as well as the opportunities for preventing and responding to these impacts are sufficiently addressed at the highest political level throughout the world.

In 2002 the EU adopted a specific Strategy on Environmental Integration in the External Policies. The aim of this strategy was not to redefine or restate the core objectives of EU international environmental policy, but rather to specifically consider how to better to pursue these objectives in the day to day conduct of external relations.

The strategy proposes a number of internal actions that would improve environment integration in practice. Many of these actions are intended to address the need for consistency and coherence in EU dialogue with third countries. Since the adoption of this strategy the European Commission and the EU Member States have intensified their efforts in this area. One of the great successes of this work is the Green Diplomacy Network.