Belgium uses COP30 to strengthen climate partnerships with Brazil and increase funding for Congo Basin Forest Fund
Belgium moved to showcase its climate credentials at COP30 on Tuesday, pledging 5 million euros to a new fund aimed at protecting the Congo Basin’s tropical forests and signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Brazil on green hydrogen cooperation.
Under the MoU, green hydrogen produced in Brazil would in future be shipped to Belgium, while Belgian institutions would support Brazil with technical expertise. The agreement builds on a declaration of intent signed in May and now formally links three parties: the Belgian Hydrogen Council, Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), and the Brazilian Association of the Green Hydrogen Industry (ABIHV).
Joint taskforce
The partners will set up a joint taskforce to assess options for a bilateral supply chain for green hydrogen and its derivatives, and to facilitate exchanges of expertise and best practices. Green hydrogen - produced from renewable electricity - is promoted as a low-carbon alternative for shipping fuel and as a feedstock for industrial and chemical processes. Large-scale production, however, requires significant volumes of renewable power.
The MoU is valid for three years and can be extended by mutual agreement. The Belgian Hydrogen Council has previously concluded a similar agreement with Oman.
Separately, Federal Climate minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) announced Belgium’s contribution of 5 million euros to a new Congo Basin forest protection fund. The financing comes from revenues generated by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and will be transferred as development support in cooperation with Development Cooperation minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés).
The amount represents an initial symbolic tranche under Crucke’s “ABC Plan” (Africa–Belgium–Climate), which aims to link Belgium’s historical ties with Central Africa to a shared climate agenda, with further contributions possible at a later stage.
The new fund - The Belém Call for the Forests of the Congo Basin - aims to mobilise more than 2.5 billion US dollars (some 2.16 billion euros) over five years to safeguard the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest. The financing is intended to complement domestic efforts by Central African states and aligns with the commitment made at COP26 in Glasgow to halt deforestation by 2030.
© BELGA PHOTO YOERI MAERTENS
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