This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing the EU as it integrates decarbonisation into its foreign policy, especially in the wake of the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal. The authors systematically examine the EU’s external relations with six key fossil-fuel exporting countries—Nigeria, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Qatar, and Canada—each presenting unique political, economic, and security contexts. For each case, the book assesses the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, current relationship with the EU, and the potential for developing new, decarbonisation-focused partnerships.

The volume situates these case studies within broader debates about the geopolitical, economic, and security implications of the global energy transition. It highlights how the EU’s climate ambitions, particularly the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, require a fundamental rethinking of its external relations and support for a “just transition” in partner countries. The book also addresses the risks of destabilisation during the shift away from fossil fuels and offers policy recommendations for fostering sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships in a decarbonising world.

By engaging with multiple strands of academic literature—EU climate diplomacy, foreign policy, energy geopolitics, and environmental security—the authors provide both theoretical insights and practical guidance for managing the external dimensions of the EU’s climate agenda. The book is especially relevant for students and scholars of European environmental and climate policy, foreign policy, and international relations.