Progress slower than expected or ’catastrophic failure’? Politicians split on COP30 outcome

Harsh words were exchanged during the European Parliament’s plenary debate on the results of the COP30 Climate Conference in Brazil. While Commissioner Hoekstra admitted that from the EU’s view ’more would have been better’, some MEPs from right-wing and far-right factions were using expressions such as ’shameful failure’ or ’Waterloo’.

The plenary debate on the results of COP30 took place on Thursday, 27 November. That it would not be peaceful had already been foreshadowed by a previous parliamentary report entitled ’COP30 outcome: slow progress, but insufficient to meet climate crisis urgency’.

No mention of fossil fuels

“COP30 has made important steps forward, but more would have been better,” said Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth in his opening address. Among the achievements, Mr Hoekstra mentioned the agreement on increasing funding for climate change adaptation measures or “focus on multilateralism”.

Looking at the numbers, it is crystal clear that more should have been done. – Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth

“Looking at the numbers—in terms of what world really needs in order to mitigate climate change—it is, however, crystal clear that more should have been done,” admitted Commissioner Hoekstra. He also stated that the original idea, i. e. including a road map of phasing out fossil fuels into the final declaration, did not suceed. “We faced stiff resistance from a couple of countries, and, of course, that is unfortunate,” said Mr Hoekstra, admitting a “lack of more concreteness on a couple of issues”.

“Like Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo”

Some MEPs in the plenary session chose much less diplomatic language than Commissioner Hoekstra. “To draw a parallel with European reality, the EU’s delegation at COP30 ended up like Napoleon at Waterloo,” MEP Alexandr Vondra (ECR/CZE) began his speech. He called the mandate of Parliament’s delegation at COP30 “unrealistic, too ambitious, even arrogant”.

The EU did not achieve anything significant in Belém of what it had wanted to achieve. — MEP Alexandr Vondra (ECR/CZE)

“The EU did not achieve anything significant in Belém of what it had wanted to achieve,” continued Mr Vondra using the expression “catastrophic failure”. He also mentioned that “the final text does not include a single note on fossil fuels and there is almost nothing related to deforestation.” In Mr Vondra’s view, “in terms of climate financing, the whole world is laughing at us; they’ve turned us into a cash cow”

Some other MEPs were not so straightforwardly pessimistic, though. Peter Liese (EPP/DEU) mentioned that “there was a huge amount of support for our agenda” and called for going on with the European climate goals. “We must be responsible to our children and grandchildren,” concluded Mr Liese his speech.

The 30th UN climate conference COP30 took place from 10 to 21 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil (the final text was adopted at 22 November). The conference focused mainly on the efforts needed to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C, on the presentation of new national action plans, and on the progress of the finance pledges made at COP29.