France Threatens to Block EU Climate Funds to India Over Inaction

France has warned that it could block the disbursement of climate funds to India under a recent European Union trade deal if New Delhi fails to take stronger action on climate change.

France’s Ecological Transition Minister Monique Barbut told AFP that the EU should adopt a “more transactional” approach in negotiations with emerging economies to ensure accountability in climate commitments.

She cited India, which signed a major trade deal with Brussels in January, as an example. Under the agreement, the EU is expected to provide 500 million euros ($574 million) to support India’s green transition.

“I am not in favour of such funding until India submits a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in accordance with its commitments and it adopts a slightly different approach towards the European Union in climate negotiations,” Barbut said.

NDCs are national plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, required every five years under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. More than 60 countries, including India, Egypt, and the Philippines, have not yet submitted their latest NDCs, missing the United Nations deadline last year.

India is the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the United States.

Barbut emphasized that Brussels needs a tougher stance in climate diplomacy, advocating a “more strategic and also more transactional approach.” She said, “This clearly means: ‘We only pay if you act’,” and added that Europe should provide financial support only to countries that make credible commitments within the Paris Agreement framework.

The EU’s 27-nation bloc is scheduled to discuss climate diplomacy and funding conditions during a meeting of climate ministers in Brussels on Tuesday.