How Can EU-Africa Relations Drive a Truly Global and Equitable Just Transition After COP30?

On 25 February 2026, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), together with the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and with support from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, convened a hybrid webinar from 10:00 to 12:00 at FEPS headquarters in Brussels and online.

The session gathered African and European policymakers, researchers, climate justice advocates and civil society representatives to examine how the outcomes of COP30 in Belém can be turned into concrete, fair progress through strengthened EU-Africa cooperation.

As Africa’s leading civil society coalition for climate justice, PACJA works to ensure that global climate responses respect African development priorities, amplify African voices, and deliver equitable outcomes.

The webinar provided a timely platform to bridge perspectives between Europe and Africa and to push for governance frameworks that make the global just transition meaningful for the continent.

The discussion came at a critical juncture. COP30 formally recognised Just Transition at the UN level but failed to include explicit commitments to phase out fossil fuels.

This omission risks perpetuating delays and protecting high-emitting interests, while Africa continues to grapple with energy poverty, insufficient adaptation finance and escalating climate impacts.

The Brazilian presidency’s focus on Just Transition as a signature theme created important space to demand equity-based parameters for phasing out fossil supply and demand while rapidly scaling up renewable, nature-positive and people-centred energy systems.

Presentations highlighted four essential justice dimensions. Distributive justice requires fair allocation of costs and benefits across countries and generations.

 Procedural justice calls for inclusive and transparent decision-making. Restorative justice insists on repairing historical harms through mechanisms such as the Loss and Damage Fund. Recognitional justice demands that the voices of vulnerable communities and Indigenous peoples are genuinely valued and heard.

The concept of Just Transition Corridors was introduced to guide the process. These corridors respect the 1.5°C carbon budget, legal obligations to future generations, social floors anchored in the SDGs, and practical policies that combine poverty reduction with emissions reductions.

 Two clear litmus tests were proposed to evaluate EU-Africa cooperation: first, whether both partners share a common understanding of these corridors; second, whether joint plans deliver concrete, actionable roadmaps for simultaneous fossil fuel phase-out and renewable energy phase-in.

Europe’s Just Transition Mechanism focuses on supporting coal-dependent regions through targeted funding for economic diversification and social protection. In contrast, Africa’s priorities centre on expanding reliable energy access, protecting livelihoods, enabling industrial growth and securing technology and finance transfers.

The webinar stressed that Europe must lead by example: phase out fossil fuel subsidies, adopt firm exit timelines (coal by 2030, gas by 2035, oil by 2040) and shift to grant-based, non-debt-creating finance. At the same time, Africa must ensure its energy security and development needs remain central, not peripheral, in global transition strategies.

Looking ahead, the webinar identified COP32 in Ethiopia as a pivotal opportunity to re-insert strong, science-based language on fossil fuel phase-out and to adopt equity-grounded frameworks. Participants also called for active support of African-led initiatives, including Mission 300 for universal electricity access, decentralised solar deployment and stronger domestic resource mobilisation.

EU-Africa relations represent a strategic channel to move from high-level commitments to tangible delivery, ensuring that Africa’s most vulnerable communities are supported, not sidelined, on the path to 1.5°C.