Integrating nature and resource conservation in the European security strategy

Avoiding adverse climate change impacts has become a top priority for the European Union. By request of the German EU 2007 Council Presidency, the EU Commission and Council Secretariat produced a joint paper on climate change and international security. The paper galvanises the findings of experts from around the world and urgently calls for developing a road map on how the potentials of all instruments available to the EU could be harnessed to avoid negative impacts of climate change. The panel "Towards an EU Action Plan on Climate Change and International Security", which took place in Brdo, Slovenia, in June 2008, was the first of a series of meetings to develop this roadmap.

The project supported the European process on climate change impacts and security. The first phase focused on supporting the preparations of the panel. The ultimate goals included providing concrete, operationalised recommendations for EU development cooperation and crisis response policy. This also required developing instruments that prevent climate change related conflicts and to improve capacities to manage these conflicts.