COP For Hope: Hungary Counting On Azerbaijan's Leadership In Resolving Climate Financing Issue At COP29 - State Secretary (Exclusive Interview)

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 21. As part of COP29 in Baku, Trend News Agency proudly presents COP for Hope, a special project offering an unparalleled platform to hear from world leaders and trailblazers in politics, economics, science, and ecology, all united by a shared commitment to addressing today's pressing climate challenges.

Today, we are honored to speak with Attila Steiner , State Secretary for energy and Climate at the Ministry of Energy of Hungary.

In an exclusive interview with Trend on the sidelines of COP29, Steiner praised the hospitality at COP29 and thanked Azerbaijan for the excellent organization.“We are very well treated here at COP”

“Now we are approaching the end, so expectations are higher and higher. Of course, there is already some progress, especially regarding the Article 6 of the Paris agreement about the carbon markets. I think it's a very good performance. But, of course, the main question of financing is still open, which is crucial. We are counting also on the Azerbaijani presidency's leadership in this issue, and we would like to have a very balanced and good outcome of this COP29,” he said.

Steiner noted that Hungary would like to see ambitious financing commitments at COP29.

“I think it is important not to forget about mitigation. Of course, that was the topic of the previous COP in Dubai. However, we think that we shouldn't forget mitigation. It's a red line for us to step back on that question. Also, if we could close Article 6, the carbon market issue, that would be a very good achievement, because it's something concrete and it's a market-based scheme. It would help a lot in the fight against climate change,” added the state secretary.

He went on to add that Hungary, which is chairing this year the European Council, is in contact with the Azerbaijani presidency throughout the COP.

“I think it's a very good coincidence. We have very regular exchanges and cooperation with president of COP29, Minister Mukhtar Babayev and lead negotiator Yalcin Rafiyev. Aside from COP29, cooperation in green energy is clearly a topic which is important for us. The Green Energy Corridor initiative, which brings together Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Georgia and Azerbaijan, is an excellent project reflecting our basic attitude to these questions. We can show that this region is capable to progress also with renewable energy,” said Steiner.

Hungarian state secretary pointed out that the European Union will also submit the NDCs, the contributions.

“So now, of course, we will have an exercise to elaborate the EU's contribution based on the member states' contribution. We just recently submitted to the European Commission our National Energy and Climate Plan, which are the very concrete targets, which we would like to achieve by 2030. I think it's a good basis for that discussion. But as quite a small Central Eastern European country, we would like to also focus on our neighborhood. Especially, the Western Balkans is very important for us. They are also developing countries, and I think we need to help those countries in decarbonization in the future,” he said.

Steiner pointed out that Europe is responsible only for 6 percent of the global emissions, and Hungary is responsible only for 2 percent of it.

“It's a very small number globally, but it doesn't mean that we don't have responsibility. We have to do our homework, and in our neighborhoods,” he concluded.

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