EU to back COP31 electrification target

ANTALYA, Turkey — The European Union will sign a pledge to raise the global electrification rate at the U.N. climate conference, three diplomats told POLITICO.

The bloc was divided over whether to back a voluntary goal, proposed by the Turkish-Australian hosts of this year’s COP31 summit, to increase the share of electricity in global energy consumption to 35% by 2035. The share is currently around 20%.

But the diplomats, who were granted anonymity to disclose details of closed-door discussions among governments, said the 27 member countries had now reached consensus on supporting the pledge. While consensus unblocks the process, the EU’s formal support for the pledge still needs to clear more bureaucratic hoops before it becomes official.