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EU Parliament gives formal approval to new EU climate chief - Reuters

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EU Parliament gives formal approval to new EU climate chief | Reuters

EU Parliament gives formal approval to new EU climate chief

Wopke Hoekstra arrives at the Binnenhof for the Council of Ministers in The Hague, Netherlands July 14, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

BRUSSELS, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The European Parliament gave its formal approval on Thursday to appoint Wopke Hoesktra as the EU's new head of climate change policy, paving the way for him to take on the role.

Hoekstra, a former Dutch foreign minister, was widely expected to pass the Parliament vote, and did so by a large margin - 279 votes in favour, 173 against and 33 abstentions.

He had already won backing from the EU Parliament's environment committee earlier this week. EU countries must also approve his appointment before he can start the role, a formality that is expected to wave him through.

Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta

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State of Play

Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates. 

Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.

The conference faces an even greater sense of urgency brought on by the Sept. 8, 2023, release of the first global stocktake, which calls for accelerated action to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21). 

Climate diplomacy: COP 27 | Climate diplomacy: COP 28 | Climate diplomacy: COP 29

 

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