G7 Climate Ministerial Meeting

The European Commissioners for Energy and Environment are attending the G7 Ministerial Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo, Japan, where they will participate in bilateral meetings and discuss a wide range of topics related to climate change, energy and the environment.

Share:

Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson and Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius are attending the G7 Ministerial Meeting on Climate, Energy and the Environment in Sapporo, Japan, April 14-17. Members of the College will also participate in other meetings in Japan during this period.

Energy transition and security at the heart of G7 climate and energy ministers’ discussions

Commissioner Sinkevičius has a busy schedule, including a meeting with Japan’s Minister of State for METI, Shinichi Nakatani, in Tokyo on Friday. He will also host an event on batteries at the EU delegation in Japan with industry players. Later that evening, he will attend the welcome dinner for G7 ministers in Sapporo on behalf of the Commission.

The G7 ministerial meeting will begin with a plenary meeting of climate, energy and environment ministers on Saturday morning. The afternoon meeting of environment ministers will focus on the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework agreed at COP15 last year, as well as on the circular economy, resource efficiency and pollution.

The subsequent meeting of climate and energy ministers will discuss the first Global Review under the Paris Agreement, the transition to clean energy, energy security, and climate change preparedness and resilience. The aim of the second plenary meeting of the ministers of climate, energy and environment on Sunday is to conclude with the adoption of a ministerial communiqué.

Ministers discuss implementation of Global Biodiversity Framework at G7

In addition to the official G7 agenda, Commissioner Simson will also have several bilateral meetings with other ministers. These include Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, and Japan’s Minister of METI Yasutoshi Nishimura. On Sunday, she will visit a liquefied hydrogen carrier, the Suiso Frontier, at the port of Otaru.

In Sapporo, Commissioner Sinkevičius will also have several bilateral meetings with ministers. These include the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Therese Coffey, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, Steven Guilbeault, and the US Presidential Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry. On Monday, he will host an event on plastics at the EU delegation in Tokyo and will also meet with Japan’s METI Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura.

For example, the G7 Ministerial Meeting on Climate, Energy and the Environment, which takes place April 14-17 in Sapporo, Japan, will bring together ministers from different countries to discuss key issues related to climate change, energy and the environment. The meetings will cover a wide range of topics, including implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, the circular economy, resource efficiency, pollution, the transition to clean energy, energy security, and climate change preparedness and resilience.

The Spanish Parliament has rejected a package of reforms aimed at preventing another major power outage, plunging the national energy sector into uncertainty and revealing the fragility of the government's majority.
The U.S. government has supported Argentina’s request for a temporary suspension of an order to hand over its stake in YPF, a 16.1 billion USD judgment aimed at satisfying creditors.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency extends compliance deadlines for coal-fired power plant operators regarding groundwater monitoring and the closure of waste ponds.
Eskom aims to accelerate its energy transition through a new dedicated unit, despite a USD22.03bn debt and tariff uncertainties slowing investment.
Several major U.S. corporations announce investments totaling nearly USD 90 billion to strengthen energy infrastructure in Pennsylvania, aimed at powering data centers vital to the rapid growth of the artificial intelligence sector.
Nearly USD92bn will be invested by major American and international groups in new data centres and energy infrastructure, responding to the surge in electricity demand linked to the rise of artificial intelligence.
Nouakchott has endured lengthy power interruptions for several weeks, highlighting the financial and technical limits of the Mauritanian Electricity Company as Mauritania aims to widen access and green its mix by 2030.
Between 2015 and 2024, four multilateral climate funds committed nearly eight bn USD to clean energy, attracting private capital through concessional terms while Africa and Asia absorbed more than half of the volume.
The Global Energy Policies Hub shows that strategic reserves, gas obligations, cybersecurity and critical-mineral policies are expanding rapidly, lifting oil coverage to 98 % of world imports.
According to a report by Ember, the Chinese government’s appliance trade-in campaign could double residential air-conditioner efficiency gains in 2025 and trim up to USD943mn from household electricity spending this year.
Washington is examining sectoral taxes on polysilicon and drones, two supply chains dominated by China, after triggering Section 232 to measure industrial dependency risks.
The 2025-2034 development plan presented by Terna includes strengthening Sicily’s grid, new interconnections, and major projects to support the region’s growing renewable energy capacity.
Terna and NPC Ukrenergo have concluded a three-year partnership in Rome aimed at strengthening the integration of the Ukrainian grid into the pan-European system, with an in-depth exchange of technological and regulatory expertise.
GE Vernova has secured a major contract to modernise the Kühmoos substation in Germany, enhancing grid reliability and integration capacity for power flows between Germany, France and Switzerland.
The National Energy System Operator forecasts electricity demand to rise to 785 TWh by 2050, underlining the need to modernise grids and integrate more clean energy to support the UK’s energy transition.
Terna has signed a guarantee agreement with SACE and the European Investment Bank to finance the Adriatic Link project, totalling approximately €1bn ($1.08bn) and validated as a major transaction under Italian regulations.
India unveils a series of reforms on oil and gas contracts, introducing a fiscal stability clause to enhance the sector’s attractiveness for foreign companies and boost its growth ambitions in upstream energy.
The European Commission is launching a special fund of EUR2.3bn ($2.5bn) to boost Ukraine’s reconstruction and attract private capital to the energy and infrastructure sectors.
Asia dominated global new renewable energy capacity in 2024 with 71% of installations, while Africa recorded limited growth of only 7.2%, according to the latest annual report from IRENA.
US President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act dramatically changes energy investment rules, imposing restrictions on renewables while favouring hydrocarbons, according to a recent report by consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie.