With the participation of Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, ministers and governors of the Chile were presented the work plans that the EU and the country have jointly defined for the sustainable transformation.

28 April 2022, Santiago de Chile. The European Union (EU) and Chile are strategic partners in the promotion of climate action at the global level, in both the Latin American and Caribbean regions and in Chile. They also share strategies and visions to achieve their climate commitments in the framework of the Paris Agreement, highlighting the goal of achieving carbon neutrality and resilience by 2050 at the latest.

In this framework of cooperation and through a high-level meeting, the EU together with the Government of Chile presented the Country Action Plan Chile - EUROCLIMA+, and the Team Europe Initiative on Green Hydrogen in Chile: accelerating towards carbon neutrality. Both initiatives are focused on driving sustainable transformation in the country through territorial engagement, the promotion of climate finance and the development of green hydrogen; a key technology for the decarbonisation of the national and global energy matrix.

The event held at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), was attended by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, the first official visit of a high authority since the inauguration of the new government in Chile. The aim of the visit was to highlight the broad agenda of common priorities between the European Union and Chile, and the commitment to strengthen the bilateral relationship and cooperation, including the development of green hydrogen. 

 

Borrell, opened the interventions, pointing out that: "Creating favourable conditions for the development of green hydrogen, together with the European technological offer, presents a unique opportunity for a fruitful cooperation with Chile. The EU is in a time of accelerating energy savings, diversification of supplies and transition to renewables to strengthen our strategic autonomy, as we have set forth in our European Action Plan for more accessible, secure and sustainable energy. This is why we are promoting the Team Europe Initiative for the development of Green Hydrogen in Chile and also with our EUROCLIMA+ programme in order to promote this issue within the Regional Climate Change Action Plans for Antofagasta and Magallanes," he explained.

The activity continued with the intervention of the Chilean Minister of Energy, Claudio Huepe, who highlighted the relevance of promoting green hydrogen in the country, because: "we are going to continue promoting it, but integrating it into an industrial policy. We want this industry to be deployed promoting local development, with a more social and inclusive accent, with a systemic view, which considers the impacts it will have not only in economic terms, but also in social, cultural and environmental terms," said the authority.

For her part, the Chilean Minister of the Environment, Maisa Rojas, highlighted the importance of these actions on the path to the decarbonisation of the country and the fulfilment of the global goals, emphasising the importance of the incorporation of the territorial sphere in climate action. "The Country Dialogue Chile - EUROCLIMA+ will allow the development of Regional Action Plans on Climate Change in Antofagasta and Magallanes, which will incorporate: adaptation and mitigation measures, on green hydrogen and financing strategies; it will also promote collaboration between the institutions in charge of the Climate Risk Atlas, the European platform Copernicus and the Climate Change Observatory," said Rojas.

"In the face of the complex global panorama we are confronting, the packages of measures for reactivating the economy in the region must be a major opportunity for reorienting the style of development towards a more sustainable, more inclusive and lower carbon one.", stated Mario Cimoli, Acting Executive Secretary of ECLAC, who reiterated the call of the regional Commission to move towards a Big Push for Sustainability.

 

A new energy matrix for the green transformation

Europe, in the context of the Green Pact, has identified, as has Chile, that green hydrogen is an essential energy source for the decarbonisation of the global energy matrix. Chile also stands out as one of the most promising countries for its production and export. In this regard, since 2020, the EU and Chile have carried out joint actions on green hydrogen, cooperation that is expected to deepen with the Team Europe Initiative (TEI), which was presented at the event, and through which it is expected to contribute to the transition to clean energy, while promoting green jobs, just transition and economic modernisation. The TEI on green hydrogen will focus on four areas: support for the development of an enabling environment, technology/human capital development, business cooperation and finance.

The Team Europe Initiative seeks to coordinate the efforts of the European Union, its Member States and its diplomatic network, funding institutions and implementing agencies. It aims to strengthen coordination, coherence and complementarity of actions, increase European impact and elevate Europe as a partner of reference.

Team Europe Initiatives are flagship actions based on this approach, whose main feature is the added value of joint European cooperation and, as such, are open to participation by all Team Europe Members.

 

Cooperation for meeting the climate objectives

The EU, through its regional climate change programme EUROCLIMA+, 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, has accompanied Chile in the update of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the preparation of its Long-Term Climate Strategy (LTCS) and in its role as Presidency of the COP25 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2019, and the road to COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021. In this context, more than 30 projects were carried out to promote climate action, in Chile as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Country Action Plan Chile - EUROCLIMA+, is the result of the dialogue that the Programme has developed with the country, and which was facilitated by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), where the preparation of the Regional Action Plans on Climate Change (RAPCC) for the regions of Antofagasta and Magallanes has been jointly defined, along with other actions aimed at promoting the development of green hydrogen, incorporating financing strategies for the implementation of the RAPCCs and facilitating collaboration between the institutions in charge of the Atlas of Climate Risks (ARClim), the European platform Copernicus and the Climate Change Observatory, in order to provide relevant information for the elaboration of the RAPCCs.

In the framework of EUROCLIMA, these actions will be developed by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policy (FIIAPP), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and will count on the technical advice of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

 

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 in 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).

 

More information for the press:

Mónica Benavidez, Press and Information Officer, Delegation of the European Union in Chile: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Macarena Castillo, Communication and Visibility Advisor, Climate Governance for the EUROCLIMA programme: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Alexandra Cortés, Communication and Visibility Expert, EUROCLIMA+ Programme Secretariat This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.