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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Euractiv or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: Germany is set to cut around €1.5 billion from its development cooperation budget, sharply reducing climate finance to poorer nations midway through COP30
• The draft budget lowers the ministry’s allocation from €6 billion to €4.58 billion, despite longstanding commitments to support mitigation and adaptation in vulnerable countries
• The move has triggered warnings of eroded trust at a moment when climate finance is central to negotiations
🔭 The context: Developing nations consistently argue that industrialized economies — historically responsible for most emissions — must help fund climate responses
• Germany previously delivered €6 billion toward the $100 billion annual global financing goal in 2024, fulfilling an Angela Merkel–era pledge
• But after COP29 set a new global target of €300 billion by 2035, Berlin’s retreat signals a shift that could complicate collective ambition
• The cuts also follow Germany’s recent claims of being a “reliable partner” in climate policy
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Predictable finance is essential for vulnerable countries facing escalating climate disasters, rising adaptation costs, and the need for clean energy investment
• A major donor scaling back during negotiations risks weakening the multilateral process and widening the gap between climate pledges and delivery
• Reduced support may slow both decarbonisation and resilience-building, undermining global progress toward Paris Agreement goals and increasing the long-term human and economic toll of climate impacts
⏭️ What's next: The development ministry says final figures will be confirmed later in 2025, but pressure is mounting for Germany to explain how it will contribute to the expanded finance target
• COP30 negotiators are expected to push Berlin for clearer commitments as talks intensify around climate finance, loss and damage, and post-2030 goals
• Germany now faces heightened scrutiny from developing nations and EU partners seeking signs that donor countries will uphold their responsibilities
💬 One quote: “The gap between promises and action is measured in rising temperatures, lost livelihoods and broken trust.” — Jamila Schäfer, Green MP
📈 One stat: €4.58 billion — Germany’s revised development cooperation budget line, down from €6 billion
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