Mexico

Context of the action

Mexico upheld its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) at the end of 2021, pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 22% by 2030 compared to a business-as-usual scenario. At the United Nations climate change talks (COP26) Mexico became one of the signatories to the Global Methane Pledge, promoted by the EU and the United States.

SPIPA action

Mexico has traditionally been a key partner for the EU in Latin America. In this context and highlighted by the updated EU-Mexico Global Agreement signed in March 2020, SPIPA aimed to support the EU in maintaining climate change as a key topic in its broader bilateral relations with the country.

To this end, SPIPA supported knowledge sharing and capacity development between the two partners and focused on political and technical discussions on coastal vulnerability to climate change; sustainable transportation; the Global Methane Pledge; and developing a circular economy.

The Programme also fostered technical exchanges on the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) between European experts and the Mexican officials in charge of setting up a pilot phase of Mexico’s ETS, and it supported a technical study on the potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the construction, demolition and waste management sectors for Mexico City.

Mexico was also a part of the SPIPA multi-country activity on international carbon markets.

Future EU climate collaboration with Mexico could be framed within the government’s stated goals of increasing adaptation capacity, reducing vulnerability to the effects of climate change, and highlighting the benefits of an integrated climate change strategy.