NDCs are national strategies that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in key sectors. However, recent reports have revealed that the sum of all current NDCs is insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global temperature rise below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5°C. Countries will need to step up climate action to meet the targets.

The European Commission’s proposal for the future financial instrument for external cooperation (NDICI) sets a 25 % climate-relevant spending target out of its total budget for the period 2021-2027. This is a substantial increase compared to the current (2014-2020) 20% target.

DG DEVCO has produced a methodological note to help colleagues in Headquarters and EU Delegations meet the challenges during the next programming phase^[1] for projects to be funded in 2021-2027. The document is part of a broader (pre-)programming process that puts the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development at its core. It emphasises the links between NDCs and the 2030 Agenda, and how progress on one also contributes to the other.

The note provides guidance on how the EU might boost support to the implementation of NDCs. It complements guidelines, trainings and other efforts for the effective integration of climate change and environment into the 2021-2027 programming exercise (mainstreaming). Supporting NDC implementation is not about shifting resources away from other sectors but rather focusing on areas that are crucial to achieving Paris Agreement goals and the 2030 Agenda. 

The approach includes eight steps:

• Analysing the country’s NDC
• Defining the country’s profile
• Mapping other interventions in support of NDC implementation at country level
• Defining sectors where cooperation could take place
• Defining which component of the NDC will be supported
• Defining the potential role of other sectors in supporting the NDC objectives
• Defining interventions that will support NDC implementation
• Defining the role of public and private finance