Illustration: the EU will push a "mitigation package" at next month's COP31 summit in Turkey, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.
The European Union will use next month's COP31 climate summit to push for agreement on a "package" of efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions heating the planet, according to an internal EU document seen by Reuters — a high-stakes attempt to revive momentum on emissions cuts after the United Nations confirmed last month that the world will miss the 2015 Paris Agreement's target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The document, drafted by Ireland while it holds the EU's rotating presidency, lays out the bloc's negotiating strategy ahead of the November gathering in Turkey. It signals a deliberate change of tactics after last year's COP30 summit in Brazil, which ended without firmer pledges to restrain greenhouse gas emissions.
What Happened
According to the internal document reported by Reuters on October 12, the EU will champion a "mitigation package" at COP31 — a set of measures focused on lowering emissions by translating countries' current climate pledges into tangible, real-world actions. Rather than chasing headline-grabbing new commitments, Brussels wants to concentrate on making existing promises count.
A primary EU demand will be to extend through 2040 the portion of UN climate negotiations in which governments deliberate on emissions reduction and pinpoint where further progress can be achieved. That negotiating track, known as the mitigation work programme, is scheduled to lapse this year — and without an extension, diplomats say, one of the few standing forums for scrutinising emissions gaps would disappear.
The EU will additionally urge nations to formally respond to the UN's recent confirmation that the world will fail to meet the Paris goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Irish climate minister Darragh O'Brien said the bloc would "look to strengthen our partnerships to deliver practical progress on global climate action, specifically on the transition away from fossil fuels and on electrification."
EU climate ministers were set to deliberate on their COP31 strategy at a meeting on Monday, October 12, according to the document.
Illustration: the EU wants countries to turn existing climate pledges into tangible emissions-cutting actions.
Background
The EU's strategy is shaped by a string of disappointments. Even as extreme weather fuelled by climate change battered communities around the world, governments at recent UN climate talks failed to agree to tougher action, with large emerging economies and fossil fuel producers concerned about the impact of such measures on their growth and development.
The geopolitical landscape has also darkened. The United States pulled out of global climate negotiations, removing the world's largest historical emitter from the table and leaving the EU to carry the diplomatic weight of the climate agenda largely on its own. EU diplomats told Reuters the bloc is devising a different tactic for COP31 — seeking to sidestep public confrontations over divisive matters and instead concentrate on cooperating with countries to carry out their climate commitments.
The scientific backdrop is sobering. A report covered by phys.org on October 14 warned that the Earth's climate system is becoming increasingly unstable: the rate of global warming has nearly doubled, from about 0.19 degrees Celsius per decade between 1970 and 2010 to about 0.36 degrees per decade since. A very strong El Niño expected to develop this fall could add substantially to warming in the coming months, putting 2026 on track to be one of the hottest years on record.
The same report noted that glacier thickness and Greenland ice mass are at all-time lows, that global tree cover loss due to fires reached 10.8 million hectares in 2025 — the third-highest level on record — and that fossil fuel consumption increased by 0.9 percent in 2025, with oil, coal and gas all reaching record highs. Annual energy-related carbon dioxide emissions surpassed 41 gigatonnes for the first time.
Meanwhile, the two countries at the centre of COP31 — Australia and Turkey — face their own scrutiny. A report by international climate campaign group 350.org, covered by The Climate Watch on October 14, found that the coal supply chain linking Australia and Turkey has been associated with more than 75 million tonnes of CO2 emissions since 2015, based on United Nations Comtrade data. The group noted that Australia and Turkey are among the few industrialised countries without national coal phase-out deadlines, and criticised the summit's Action Agenda for not explicitly mentioning fossil fuels — the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Andreas Sieber, head of political strategy at 350.org, called on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to establish national coal phase-out deadlines and ensure the summit places the transition away from fossil fuels at the centre of negotiations. The criticism gained weight after Australia's New South Wales Independent Planning Commission approved the Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project on September 30, allowing two existing open-cut coal mines to continue operating until 2042 and 2045.
Illustration: campaigners criticise Australia and Turkey, the COP31 co-hosts, for expanding fossil fuel production.
Why It Matters
The EU's mitigation package matters because the gap between climate promises and climate reality has become the defining story of global climate diplomacy. Countries have submitted pledges under the Paris Agreement, but implementation has lagged — and the UN's confirmation that the 1.5C target will be missed turns what was once a warning into an official verdict.
The push to extend the mitigation work programme to 2040 is a bid to keep pressure on governments long after the current news cycle moves on. Without that track, future summits could drift toward procedural debates rather than the hard work of measuring and closing emissions gaps.
The strategy also tests whether quiet diplomacy can succeed where public confrontation has failed. With the US absent and major emerging economies wary of binding measures, the EU's bet is that cooperation on implementation — rather than fights over new targets — can keep the climate process moving. If COP31 in Turkey ends like COP30 in Brazil, with no firmer pledges, the credibility of the entire UN climate framework will face renewed questions.
What Happens Next
EU climate ministers will finalise the bloc's COP31 negotiating mandate in the coming weeks, ahead of the November summit in Turkey. Watch for whether the mitigation package gains support from other delegations — particularly vulnerable nations and small island states that have the most to lose from slow action.
The fossil fuel question will loom over the talks. Campaigners are pressing the COP31 presidency to put the transition away from fossil fuels at the centre of the negotiations; how Turkey handles that pressure, given its own expanding coal and gas ties with Australia, will be one of the summit's defining storylines.
And the science will not wait. With a strong El Niño expected this fall and 2026 on track to be among the hottest years on record, the physical evidence of a warming planet will keep arriving faster than the diplomacy designed to slow it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the EU's mitigation package for COP31?
According to an internal EU document seen by Reuters, the bloc will push at the November COP31 summit in Turkey for agreement on a package of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, focused on turning countries' existing climate pledges into real-world actions rather than seeking new headline targets.
What is the mitigation work programme the EU wants to extend?
The mitigation work programme is the segment of UN climate negotiations where governments discuss how to reduce emissions and identify areas where more can be done. It is due to expire this year; the EU wants it extended through 2040.
Did the UN really say the 1.5C Paris target will be missed?
Yes. The UN confirmed last month that the world will fail to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — a milestone that adds urgency to the COP31 talks.
Why did the US leave climate negotiations?
The United States pulled out of global climate negotiations, removing the world's largest historical emitter from the talks and increasing the diplomatic burden on the EU to keep climate action moving forward.
Why are Australia and Turkey being criticised before COP31?
Climate campaign group 350.org reported that the Australia-Turkey coal supply chain has been linked to over 75 million tonnes of CO2 since 2015, and criticised both countries — among the few industrialised nations without coal phase-out deadlines — for expanding fossil fuel production while preparing to lead the COP31 summit.
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Sources
- Reuters — "EU eyes COP31 climate deal to accelerate CO2 cuts, document shows" (Oct 12, 2026): internal EU document, Ireland presidency draft, mitigation package, work programme extension to 2040, UN 1.5C confirmation, Darragh O'Brien quote, US withdrawal, COP30 outcome
- The Climate Watch — "Australia and Türkiye under fire over coal and gas before COP31 summit" (Oct 14, 2026): 350.org report on Australia-Turkey coal supply chain emissions, Andreas Sieber comments, Hunter Valley coal mine extension
- phys.org — "Earth's climate system increasingly unstable, but signs of positive change emerge" (Oct 14, 2026): warming rate acceleration, expected strong El Niño, glacier and ice mass lows, 2025 fossil fuel consumption records, 41 gigatonnes CO2
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