The Minister for Climate Change and Energy visited with counterparts across the United Arab Emirates and Europe to promote Australia’s climate action and clean energy investment potential, strengthen partnerships, and discuss the path forward to achieve net zero emissions.
During his 10-day visit, Minister Bowen met with world leaders, ministerial counterparts, business groups, and prospective investors in Abu Dhabi, Vienna, Berlin, Rotterdam, Brussels and Paris.
While in Abu Dhabi, Minister Bowen met with COP28 President and Special Envoy for Climate Change Sultan al-Jaber, to support efforts for this year’s COP and lay the groundwork for an impactful COP31, which Australia is bidding to host in partnership with the Pacific in 2026.
In Vienna, the Minister met with Leonore Gewessler, Minister of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology to discuss collaboration with Austria under the Net Zero Industries Mission.
Australia and Germany strengthened their hydrogen partnership in Berlin where the Minister and German Minister for Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger announced four new joint projects under the German-Australia Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Incubator (HyGATE), with funding of up to $50 million from Australia and €50 million from Germany to be invested across the four projects.
The Minister also met with Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, industry leaders, and other government officials, to determine next steps under the German-Australian partnership. This was followed by a tour of a clean energy manufacturing site and visit to a hydrogen electrolyser facility.
At the Port of Rotterdam, a milestone Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Australia and the Netherlands to support the development of a renewable hydrogen supply chain from Australia to Europe, while the Minister made a site visit to a hydrogen infrastructure and coastal windfarm with Minister for Climate and Energy Policy, Rob Jetten.
The Minister then moved on to Brussels where he met with high level EU officials and delivered a key note address at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), where he discussed Australia’s clean energy ambition and action, and how we can strengthen our energy security ties. The Minister also engaged with industry at an European Australian Business Council (EABC) event.
Finally in Paris, the Minister met with Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, and representatives from the International Energy Agency, to discuss how we can work together to raise our global climate ambition and achieve our collective decarbonisation goals.
