GENEVA
The Greek prime minister on Wednesday called for a pragmatic recalibration of Europe’s climate policies, emphasizing the need for a "Smart Green Deal" that balances ambitious environmental goals with economic sustainability.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during his address to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, warned of the risks posed by high energy costs, arguing that they could provoke a political backlash and hinder Europe’s industrial competitiveness.
"Europe is a leader in renewable energy, but we still have higher energy prices than anyone else. We are the only region to impose a heavy tax on emissions. We are almost alone in defending the rules of free trade, yet Europe accounts for a diminishing share of global emissions, only 6% in 2023," he said.
"We cannot drive ourselves into industrial oblivion. Net Zero must be part of a broader European strategy and not the other way around," he added.
He outlined a four-point plan for strengthening Europe’s climate policies, urging the EU to focus on realistic trade-offs, regulatory flexibility, and technology-neutral innovation.
He argued that Europe’s strict climate targets should allow individual countries to choose their own paths, concentrating first on “easier emissions” while giving emerging technologies time to mature.
To secure Europe’s energy transition, he advocated for a renewed commitment to the internal energy market, stressing the importance of grid investments to make electricity transport efficient across the region.
In his closing remarks, the prime minister underscored the urgency of preparing for near-term climate impacts.
"We cannot focus so much on 2050 that we forget 2024," he said, emphasizing that Europe must be "smart and pragmatic, focused on data and science," to ensure a united and sustainable response to climate change.
Italy: Technology neutrality 'right approach'
In her address at the event, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for a pragmatic and balanced approach to climate action, urging global leaders to embrace "technology neutrality" and a cooperative path to sustainability.
Highlighting Italy’s support for renewable energy while advocating for a mixed-energy approach, Meloni argued that the global transition must consider economic and social systems.
"Technology neutrality is the right approach as currently there is no single alternative to fossil fuel supply. We must have a realistic global outlook. The world population will reach 8.5 billion by 2030, and global GDP will double in the next decade," she said, emphasizing the need for both renewable and alternative energy sources.
"This will boost energy consumption, also considering the increasing demand for artificial intelligence development. We need a balanced energy mix to enhance the transition process," she said, adding that all available technologies, not only renewables but also gas, biofuels, hydrogen, CO2 capture, and nuclear fusion, must be used.
In addition to her call for technology neutrality, she advocated for renewed energy diplomacy to foster cooperation between the global North and South.
Also speaking at the gathering, Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state of the Holy See, read Pope Francis' message, in which he stated that it is "essential" to seek a new international financial architecture.
A financial architecture that "is human-centered, bold, creative and based on the principles of equity, justice and solidarity," the message read. "A financial architecture that can truly ensure for all countries, especially the poorest and those most vulnerable to climate disasters, both low carbon and high sharing development pathways for an ambitious agreement that promotes initiatives and processes and a truly inclusive development."
"We must all take responsibility for safeguarding not only our own future, but that of all," it said.
Liechtenstein calls for voluntary climate finance
Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, in his address, said residential energy use continues to be a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, requiring "much greater efforts."
"At COP29 financial considerations are critical, but our most valuable resource is time," Plenkovic said, stressing: "We must act now."
He underscored that Croatia is pushing for carbon neutrality, expediting solar and wind energy deployment with an environmental vulnerability map, and turning commitments into "tangible action."
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama, for his part, also drew attention to the lack of action despite the promises.
"My point is, what on earth are we doing in this gathering, over and over and over, if there is no common political will on the horizon to go beyond words and unite for meaningful action," Rama said.
Liechtenstein's Prime Minister Daniel Risch voiced hope in his speech that this year's gathering would mark "a step of change in the way we provide financial means for developing countries in need of support."
"As we have learned from the current climate financial goals, a quantitative target can lead to frustrations, both with developing and developed countries," Risch said. "To counter this, we strongly advocate for a strong focus on quality and qualitative elements, adding flexibility and the foundation to the further scale up climate finance."
Noting that Liechtenstein is already providing and will continue to provide voluntary climate finance, currently amounting to around $70 per capita, he said: "We encourage all countries in a position to do so to also start providing voluntary climate finance."
