Bogota, June 14, 2022. The first Dialogue on the Environment, Climate Action and Sustainable Development was held between Colombia and the European Union, formally established on April 25, 2022 by the Colombian Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Carlos Eduardo Correa, and Commissioner of Environment, Oceans and Fisheries of the European Union, Virginijus Sinkevičius, in the framework of his visit to Colombia and in follow-up to a Joint Declaration signed by said officials in February of this year in Brussels.
The dialogue began with the words of the Ambassador of the European Union in Colombia, Gilles Bertrand, the Vice Minister of Policies and Environmental Standardization, Francisco Cruz, and the Director of Green Diplomacy and Multilateralism (DG ENV) Green (DG ENV), Astris Schomaker.
This occasion was focused on the actions that the Colombian government has implemented in four central themes: biodiversity and fight against deforestation, promotion of the circular economy, fight against climate change and sustainable management of the oceans.
Regarding the first, Colombia shared with the European Union the determined effort to protect the fauna, flora and forests, as well as the importance of guaranteeing that there are adequate means of implementation to achieve the objectives set.
On circular economy, meeting points were also identified that have resulted in various joint actions between both parties, such as the strengthening of territorial instances, technical assistance to articulate the sustainable production and consumption policy with the national circular economy strategy, and the promotion of green businesses.
Regarding the fight against climate change, Colombia reaffirmed that it recognizes the European Union as a primary partner in this purpose and shared its experience in launching its Green Taxonomy, launched on April 11, 2022, fourth in the world and first in the hemisphere, which incorporates the high sustainability standards of the EU Green Taxonomy.
Finally, in the dialogue on oceans, Colombia highlighted that, as a bi-oceanic, mega-diverse country that enjoys an invaluable wealth of natural resources, it has been active in multilateral environmental scenarios; acting as a leader in actions for the protection, conservation and sustainable use of its oceans.
For its part, the European Union referred to the importance of the next biodiversity COP, in which it hopes to adopt a Global Biodiversity Framework with robust, realistic and quantifiable measures. Similarly, he referred to the proposal for a regulation on Zero Deforestation, to be adopted in the second half of 2023, and to the package of measures on the circular economy, among which he highlighted ecological designs, the strategy on textiles, batteries , plastic and waste exports. Regarding climate change, the EU reiterated its commitment to the issues of adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage. Regarding the oceans, he emphasized 3 topics of interest: the treaty on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), the loss of biodiversity in the deep sea and the international governance of the oceans.
Finally, in the intervention by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was highlighted that this exercise is an opportunity to coordinate efforts in environmental matters with the European Union, a strategic partner for Colombia to face the triple crisis that affects humanity.
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