IKV Istanbul EU Information Centre, in collaboration with the COPFUTUREU Jean Monnet module and EDAM, organised an online seminar entitled “Europe’s Green Future: Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and the Evolution of EU Sustainability and Energy Policies” on 24 December 2025.

The seminar, moderated by Jean Monnet Module Coordinator Prof. Özgün Erler Bayır, featured presentations by İKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas and EDAM Secretary General Prof. Çiğdem Üstün.

IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas emphasised that as we enter 2026, the European Green Deal has now moved into the implementation phase, and despite the pressures created by COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, the EU has not changed course, and the climate neutrality goal has been maintained as a long-term strategy. Underlining that this transformation will inevitably create points of resistance in industry, agriculture and society, Assoc. Prof. Nas stated that environmental goals must be addressed alongside their social dimensions. Stating that the EU’s climate diplomacy must be complemented by the external dimension of the Green Deal, Associate Professor Nas emphasised that the effects of climate change on peace and security are becoming increasingly central in EU documents, but that this is becoming more difficult in an environment where multilateralism is weakening and protectionism is strengthening. Assoc. Prof. Nas stated that the full implementation of the SCDM in 2026 and the conditionality in trade policy will increase the pressure on partners such as Türkiye to comply; In contrast, he stated that Türkiye’s climate diplomacy capacity is accelerating with the preparation of the Green Deal Action Plan, Climate Law and Emissions Trading System, but that areas of non-compliance persist.

EDAM Secretary General Prof. Çiğdem Üstün stated that the green transition and sustainability agenda has now gone beyond being an environmental ideal and has become an essential security element for the EU’s strategic autonomy and energy security. Prof. Üstün pointed out that the EU’s efforts to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels have created a new and deeper risk of dependence on China for critical raw materials and rare earth elements. She emphasised the strategic importance of the Critical Raw Materials Act, which came into force in 2024, in managing these vulnerabilities. Stating that Türkiye is an irreplaceable partner for the EU in boron supply, Prof. Üstün considered Türkiye’s exclusion from the 13 strategic projects announced in June 2025 to be a significant shortcoming. Prof. Üstün highlighted that, unlike the EU, the US has demonstrated more active engagement with Türkiye on raw material security and technology transfer issues. stating that the green transition is directly linked to areas such as digitalisation, chip production and artificial intelligence, and therefore Türkiye should occupy a more central position in the EU’s value chain diversification strategy, both as a supplier and a transit actor.