Paving the road to Paris? What the EU can do to facilitate a political climate change deal

The positions of key international players, the US, China and India on the road to the Paris climate change conference in December 2015 call for particular scrutiny from Brussels and other European capitals. What are the prospects of a more ambitious climate deal after the US and China announced their own targets in November 2014? To what extent will the EU be able to influence a higher level of ambition and can it continue to strive for a leadership role? The EU can offer its rich experience in implementing climate policy domestically (emissions trading, renewable energy policies, decoupling of emissions and economic growth) and building relationships with foreign climate change policy elites. This strategic update uses a SWOT analysis to outline the EU’s role in negotiating the post-Kyoto climate change agenda bilaterally and multilaterally, with case studies of bilateral EU lobbying and negotiations with China and Australia.