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Europe’s Clean and Resilient Transformation

The European Commission, together with the EU High Representative, has launched an international strategy for a clean and resilient transition. This aims to secure Europe’s strong position in global energy and technology markets. The strategy builds on the so-called Clean Industrial Deal of February 2025 while extending its ambitions to the international stage.

By giving the EU an external dimension, the strategy positions Europe not only as a participant but as a potential leader in the global energy transition. The focus is on strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones based on mutual benefits and shared standards.

As Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, explains, the goal is “to secure energy supplies for the continent and cooperate with partners using clean energy and climate resilience.” This is not just diplomacy—it’s also about economic security and competitiveness.

A Clean Industrial Revolution – Opportunity or Illusion?

Despite ambitious climate goals, Europe still relies heavily on fossil fuel imports. The new vision seeks to dramatically strengthen the clean technology industry, both by boosting production and exporting know-how, as well as providing technological support to partner countries.

In 2024, nearly half of the EU’s electricity came from renewable sources, increasing energy independence. Since 2015, investment in clean energy has surged by 111%, and the strategy aims for a 15% share of the global clean technology market. Achieving this ambitious goal will require significant investment, infrastructure upgrades, and proactive industrial policy.

The EU aims to be not just a consumer market for innovations but also an exporter of clean solutions, opening new business opportunities and jobs in the green energy sector. However, questions remain: can European industry, burdened by high energy costs and strict regulations, compete with China and the US in the global tech race?

Energy Diplomacy as a New Language of Influence

The strategy introduces a more strategic, results-driven approach to climate diplomacy. Commissioner for Climate Wopke Hoekstra notes that “the EU has shown that climate action and economic growth can go hand in hand.” The aim is to strengthen global partnerships, reform financing, and promote climate-resilient investments.

In practice, this means integrating climate policy with trade and financial tools. The EU plans to use the Global Gateway Investment Hub to support investment projects abroad, linking European businesses to global markets.

The EU Clean Transition Business Council is also set to become a platform connecting the private sector with external policy. EU economic diplomacy is starting to resemble the US model, where industrial and political interests are coordinated.

Carbon Economics – Between Market and Justice

A core part of the strategy remains carbon pricing. The EU has long promoted this as the most effective way to reduce emissions and drive innovation. Many major economies have adopted similar mechanisms, proving the effectiveness of the European model.

The Commission plans to assist partner countries in creating carbon pricing systems through a dedicated task force. The goal is to level the playing field globally so that European companies are not penalized for higher environmental standards.

At the same time, this policy could create tensions with developing countries, which may see carbon pricing as a form of climate protectionism. Can the EU convince its partners that the transition can be fair and beneficial for everyone?

Climate, Security, and Information – The New Political Triad

The strategy goes beyond energy and industry. The EU wants to link climate issues with security and resilience, drawing lessons from 2023 when a joint communication addressed these connections.

Climate change and environmental degradation are increasingly seen as destabilizing forces, leading to water conflicts, migration, and food insecurity. The Commission plans to strengthen cooperation with the UN, NATO, and regional partners to create a coordinated crisis response system.

The document also highlights the need to combat climate misinformation, which undermines trust in climate policies. This adds a new dimension to security—informational, energy, and societal.

Funding a Clean Future

The EU intends to reform global financial institutions to better support green investments. Current funding mechanisms, largely loans and subsidies, are seen as insufficient for the scale of the challenge.

Expanding instruments like Global Europe is expected to boost the export of European technologies and create more demand for EU products. Energy and housing commissioner Dan Jørgensen announced plans to combine diplomacy, industrial policy, and finance into a coherent system aimed at “mutual economic benefits, decarbonization, and energy security.”

This approach aligns the EU with a model of economic-political coordination long used by other major powers. The question remains whether member states, often with diverging energy interests, are willing to delegate some authority to EU institutions.

Europe Between Vision and Reality

The EU’s global climate and energy strategy is undoubtedly its most ambitious attempt to integrate industrial, foreign, and climate policy into a single system. At its core is the belief that the clean transition is not just an environmental issue but also a matter of geopolitics and security.

Still, challenges persist. Can the Union, facing internal tensions and economic slowdown, implement such a wide-ranging vision effectively?

Since 1990, EU greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 37%, and the Union now accounts for only 6% of global emissions. These numbers show that Europe can act consistently. Yet in a world where change is driven by other global powers, normative leadership alone may not be enough.

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