European leaders have pledged to lead real change at a key summit in Glasgow this year

The European Union has pledged to lead the way ahead of a major climate summit in Glasgow this year.

The fight against climate change was high on the agenda of the January plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which hosted a debate on COP25 and the European Green Deal.

The EU has said urgent measures need to be taken to make climate protection and sustainable development happen, and the European Union must take the lead. At the debate held in Brussels on 23 January 2020, EESC president Luca Jahier was sharp in his words: "We are at a critical time. Unfortunately, the world is not on track to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change and SDG targets and this could have devastating implications for all of us", he said.

The EESC president added that the transition to a sustainable, carbon-neutral and resource-efficient economy required fundamental changes in our society and in our economy, underlining that the EU had to deliver on two levels, on one side implementing the 2030 Agenda itself and on the other promoting it in the world.

Glasgow won the bid to host the United Nations’ 26th Conference of the Parties, known as COP26, following a partnership with Italy.

Some 30,000 delegates and 200 world leaders are expected to attend the event at Glasgow's Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in November.

The event has been described as the most important gathering on climate change since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015.