The roadmap includes five actions, supported by the EUROCLIMA+ programme, focused on contributing to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the National Decarbonisation Plan.

San José, Costa Rica, 20 January 2022. The shared commitment of Costa Rica and the European Union to the development of strategies and actions to advance sustainable, inclusive and resilient development is evidenced by the strategic alliance that both have established through the EUROCLIMA+ programme. 

Through an online event held on 20 January 2022, organised jointly by the Delegation of the European Union in Costa Rica and the Ministries of Environment and Energy (MINAE), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Protocol (Chancellery) and the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (Mideplan) of this country, the EUROCLIMA+ Country Action Plan was presented, a roadmap detailing the actions that will be developed, with a view toward meeting the country's climate objectives.

"EUROCLIMA+ is the EU's flagship programme on environmental sustainability and climate change in Latin America. Fundamentally, it addresses the strategic needs expressed by the countries of the region and accompanies actions where European cooperation can bring added value", said Alberto Menghini, Head of Regional Cooperation of the European Union in Costa Rica, during the opening speech. "I am sure that the implementation of this Action Plan will be very fruitful and that the partnership between the European Union and Costa Rica will continue to be strengthened," he said.

The actions that the EUROCLIMA+ programme will support in Costa Rica have been developed jointly by the national authorities responsible for the sectoral portfolios and the programme's implementing agencies. They are also aligned with the Nationally Determined Contribution 2020 -a commitment instrument before the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)-, resulting from a broad consultation with multiple stakeholders as well as the National Decarbonisation Plan, the National Policy on Adaptation to Climate Change and the Carbon Neutral Country Programme.

"We are entering a key and decisive decade where we must accelerate actions and promote systemic changes that require us to work with different actors. What this action plan does is to promote how we are going to accelerate this action and the empowerment of the different actors," emphasised Andrea Meza, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica.

Five actions to address the post-COVID recovery

The Costa Rica Country Action Plan considers five actions that will address strategic areas for the fulfilment of national climate targets:

Implementation of the National Strategy for Climate Empowerment, through advising on its action plan and the piloting of strategic actions. The International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policy (FIIAPP) will accompany the project.

Capacity building for the implementation of the National Adaptation Policy in Costa Rica, which seeks to provide tools to the different actors with an impact at the sub-national level, for the implementation of the National Adaptation Policy in Costa Rica. The actions will be accompanied by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and Expertise France (EF).

Increasing private sector involvement, participation and ambition in climate action by scaling up experiences, disseminating key studies, and providing tools and capacity building. This action will be accompanied by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH.

Strengthening of institutional capacity for technical support in Organic Agricultural Production, through training, access to agricultural information and definition of criteria for the Programme for the Payment of Environmental Services (PPSA) associated with Organic Agricultural Production. This action will be accompanied by FIIAPP.

Evaluation of the National Climate Change Adaptation Policy (NCCAP) will allow the country to identify the factors that have contributed to or limited the effective implementation of the NAP, which represents a basic input to support evidence-based decision-making.

For her part, Adriana Bolaños, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Bilateral Affairs and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Protocol pointed out that "...the action plan presented this morning is a reflection of the very high ambition that Costa Rica proclaims in environmental matters, demonstrating once again that our positions are not just discourse, but a true and firm conviction to work for the sustainability of our natural environment". The Vice-Minister concluded her presentation by indicating that she welcomes and appreciates the support of the European Union, which believes in Costa Rica and shares our vision.

The actions will be developed over a period of approximately 18 months. In addition, it was indicated that the EUROCLIMA+ programme, through the country dialogue mechanism, is willing to jointly identify new strategic actions for climate action.

"During the period of implementation of the EUROCLIMA+ programme, the country has benefited from regional and sectoral actions, but above all in the implementation of public policies on climate change. For Costa Rica, the support of international cooperation to address these issues is of utmost importance for the country's development; we recognise that the European Union is a strategic partner that has been present supporting the various initiatives on environmental issues", concluded Pilar Garrido Gonzalo, Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy.

The launch event was attended by representatives of the European Union, participating ministries, EUROCLIMA+ programme staff together with officials from the implementing agencies FIIAPP, AECID, EF and GIZ.

We invite you to download the presentations that were explained during the Launch:

1. General presentation of EUROCLIMA+: Carles Puigmarti, Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Union.
2. Background and general framework of the Action Plan, Patricia Campos, Director of the Climate Change Directorate of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE).
3. Action 1: Implementation of the National Strategy for Climate Empowerment, by Stephanie Altamirano and Kendal Blanco, MINAE.
4. Action 2: Capacity Building for the implementation of the National Adaptation Policy in Costa Rica, by Ximena Apestegui and Iván Delgado, MINAE.
5. Action 3: Increasing private sector engagement, participation and ambition in climate action, by Laura Mora and Marco Chinchilla, MINAE.
6. Action 4: Strengthening institutional capacity for technical support in Organic Agricultural Production, by Carolina Fallas, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG).
7. Action 5: Evaluation of the implementation of the National Adaptation Policy, by Eddy Garcia Serrano, MIDEPLAN.

 About EUROCLIMA+  

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

The Programme's mission is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting mitigation, adaptation, resilience and climate investment. It is implemented according to the "Spirit of Team Europe" under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).