The EU's energy and climate diplomacy with global partners is guided by the EU external energy engagement strategy. It aims to advance sustainable, secure and affordable energy systems in Europe and around the world, in line with the Paris Agreement and subsequent climate commitments such as those adopted at COP28.

In line with the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, the European Union (EU) is committed to promoting Europe’s diverse culture in its international relations. The EU is party to the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the main legislation in this area. Since 2007, promoting culture as a vital element in EU international relations has been one of the three main objectives of the European Agenda for Culture. This dedication was renewed as part of the 2018 New European Agenda for Culture.

Access to raw materials on global markets is one of the European Commission’s priorities. In the first pillar of the EU Raw Materials Strategy the EU has committed to pursuing Raw Materials Diplomacy by reaching out to non-EU countries through strategic partnerships and policy dialogues. So far, the EU has formed partnerships with Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Norway, Rwanda, Ukraine and Zambia. The EU also has additional relations with, Brazil, China, Colombia, Japan, Mexico, Peru, the United States, Uruguay, the EuroMed countries and the African Union.

Science Diplomacy is part of the EU’s priority of making Europe stronger in the world. The Global Approach to Research and Innovation, the EU’s strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, advocates that a stronger focus on science and technology in the EU’s foreign and security policies in terms of science diplomacy would help the EU to project soft power and pursue our economic interests and fundamental values more effectively, meeting demand and interest from partner countries and playing to the EU’s strengths as a research and innovation powerhouse.

A key objective of EU water diplomacy is to engage for the long term in fostering cooperative approaches to address the transboundary challenges of water. Good examples of such cooperation already exist in Africa and in Latin America. Cooperation on shared water resources is vital to securing lasting peace and sustainable development.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the European Union’s diplomatic service. Since 2011, the EEAS carries out the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy to promote peace, prosperity, security, and the interests of Europeans across the globe.

In most Member States, Cultural Diplomacy is since long established as a valuable component of the diplomatic toolbox. By contrast, it is a fairly recent addition to the EU’s set of instruments: A Joint Communication of 8 June 2016 and Council Conclusions of 8 April 2019 serve as strategic basis and framework for action. They follow the international cultural relations approach focusing on people-to-people contacts and co-creation processes in contrast to traditional “show casing” practises.

Digital technologies have brought new opportunities into the lives of people around the world. The goal of EU Digital Diplomacy is to secure the EU global role in the digital world, to protect its strategic interests and to promote its dynamic, human-centric regulatory framework for an inclusive digital transformation.

The EU is committed to promoting sustainable development and universal values in all areas of its external action, including in trade and investment. EU trade policy promotes and protects sustainability standards and human rights in third countries by means of various trade policy instruments, including EU’s unilateral trade preferences, bilateral and regional free trade agreements and export control policy.

The EU’s Public diplomacy initiatives aim at engaging over the long term with citizens and potential partners around the world in order to build trust and mutual understanding and, by doing so, facilitate future cooperation to tackle our common challenges.

Global challenges are becoming increasingly complex, interconnected and interdependent, requiring expert knowledge to understand the potential consequences of political action. At the same time, science, technology and innovation have been both a driver and enabler of global change, with the digital transformation advancing at unprecedented speed. While science is regarded as a public good, independent, transparent, politically neutral and life-saving, recent years also saw the rise of a populist narrative questioning scientific facts, discrediting institutions, and projecting ‘alternative truths’, thus undermining public trust in democracy and multilateralism.