Cyprus, as the upcoming president of the EU council, took an active role in the COP30 negotiations in Brazil, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said on Sunday.

Europe, she added, insisted on ambition, cohesion and support for the most vulnerable countries, sending the message that it maintains its leading role in climate action and cohesion.

The COP30 conference in Belém was not a typical climate meeting, Panayiotou said. “It was a political test of whether the international community can stand united in the face of the climate crisis at a time of geopolitical tensions and uncertainty”.

Brazil, as president of COP30 presented the Mutirão Decision, a coherent policy package that linked climate action to trade policy and put the focus on financing for resilience, loss and damage.

The message was clear: the multilateral system remains alive and functional, even in difficult conditions, Panayiotou said.

“The final package of decisions did not reach the level of ambition we wanted as the EU,” she added, “however, it averted the impasse. This is the political gain: the process continues, international cooperation remains active and the path to climate action remains open.”

The need for a gradual phase-out of fossil fuels was confirmed, but without milestones and a detailed roadmap. At the same time, the financing mechanisms for adaptation have been strengthened, while clearer directions have been given for the implementation of the mechanisms of the Paris Agreement.

As the upcoming president of the EU council, Cyprus is “preparing to manage critical phases of the implementation of decisions”.

The decisions of the COP will directly affect the formulation of the European target for 2035, the budget and the Multiannual Financial Framework, the EU’s foreign policy and the upcoming Presidencies of the Council of the EU, starting with Cyprus and Ireland in 2026, she added.

“The implications of the COP30 decisions on climate, environment and the economy are profound,” Panayiotou said.

At the climate level, the pressure for new, strengthened national commitments is expected to lead to greater emission reductions and faster implementation of zero-carbon policies. In the environment, measures on deforestation and sustainable land use enhance the protection of ecosystems, while adaptation actions protect more vulnerable societies.

In the global economy, the transition to clean technologies is accelerating, while squeezing fossil fuel markets, rearranging trade relationships, and creating new investment opportunities.