From EUROCLIMA to EUROCLIMA+
A regional programme that continues contributing to improving the knowledge of political decision makers in Latin America about the problems and consequences of climate change.
Confronting Climate Change
Since 2010, based on the agreements of the V Summit of the European Union with Latin America and the Caribe EU-LAC, held in Lima in May 2008, Latin America and Europe have been working jointly on climate change through the EUROCLIMA programme.
EUROCLIMA was implemented to help improve the knowledge of decision makers and the scientific community of Latin America about the problems and consequences of climate change, in order to integrate this issue into the sustainable development strategies of each nation and the region.
Based on the multiple achievements made during the two phases of EUROCLIMA (2010-2013 and 2014-2017) and due to the major environmental challenges that continue to be present in the Latin American region, the countries of the region and the European Union decided to join efforts through a new regional cooperation, implementing a broader programme: EUROCLIMA+.
In this way, the EUROCLIMA+ programme began as a continuation and expansion of the initial EUROCLIMA programme, which received a global budget of 16.5 million euros, representing approximately 10% of EUROCLIMA+.
EUROCLIMA

First phase
The first phase of the programme was implemented from 2010 to 2013. It had a total budget of € 5,175,000.
EUROCLIMA in its first phase
Objective: Improve the knowledge of political decision-makers and the scientific community of Latin America about the problems and consequences of climate change, in order to integrate them into sustainable development strategies.
Entities responsible for the execution:
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Joint Research Centre (JRC for its acronym in English) of the European Commission
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Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
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uropeAid General Directorate for Development and Cooperation of the European Commission (Regional Programmes Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean), supported by Technical Assistance.
In order to achieve the proposed goals, the Programme has been carried out through three components aimed at:
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Political dialogue
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Socioeconomic aspects
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The biophysical aspects of climate change in the region
The Programme’s actions were channelled through government officials, the Focal Points of the beneficiary countries, active partners in the Programme, and through the academic centres of Europe and Latin America. Under the slogan of Science and Politics ... united to confront Climate Change, EUROCLIMA in its first phase developed its activities in three major areas:
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Biophysical and socioeconomic research which provided knowledge to decision-makers and scientists of the region. In addition, tools were created such as software, inventories of best practices and manuals.
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Strengthening capacities by means of courses as well as publications.
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Established networks to stimulate experience exchanges and scientific information about climate change, uniting government officials and academic centres.
For more information on the results of the first phase : First phase

Second phase
The second phase of EUROCLIMA was implemented from 2014 to 2017. It had a total budget of € 12,587,500.
EUROCLIMA in its second phase
General Objectives:
- Contribute to reducing the poverty of the population of Latin America by reducing its environmental and social vulnerability to climate change.
- Strengthen the recovery capacity of the Latin American region to climate change and promote opportunities for green growth.
Entities responsible for the execution:
- Latin America and Caribbean Regional Programmes Unit of the General Directorate for Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid of the European Commission responsible for the management of EUROCLIMA, supported by Technical Assistance.
- Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations (ECLAC)
- Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
- Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC),
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Results attained:
- Support was given to improving information and experience exchanges on climate change, increasing political awareness and strengthening institutional capacity, knowledge and visibility of the issue at national, sub-regional and regional levels.
- Adaptation and mitigation measures “useful in any case” and/or with additional benefits were identified and prioritised, and plans for the implementation of those measures were prepared through pilot cases.
- Support was given to strengthening food security in Latin America, contributing to sustainable agriculture with a greater capacity to mitigate the effects and adapt to climate change, including measures against desertification and land degradation.
Datos Clave
The EUROCLIMA and EUROCLIMA+ programmes coordinated by the European Commission – DG International Cooperation and Development, Regional Operations Unit: Continental Latin America and the Caribbean.
Since the first phase, the countries that form part of the program have included:
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
National Focal Points are officials appointed by the Latin American governments, who facilitate and guide the execution of the Programme and promote the application of the results in political decision-making at national and regional levels.
Results and achievements of EUROCLIMA
EUROCLIMA was initiated as a result of the Fifth LAC-EU Summit, held in Lima in May 2008, where the Heads of State and Government of both continents committed to work together to address climate change.
EUROCLIMA+ thematic areas:
In current programming (2020-2022), EUROCLIMA+ supports national level actions based on country dialogues. The Programme also supports regional and multi-country actions, based on a common approach. We invite you to read about the strategic lines of action of the Program:
Communication
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- +32 (0) 2 710 19 37
- info@euroclimaplus.org
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