The global green transition is reshaping economies, trade relations and livelihoods within and beyond the borders of the European Union. While the European Green Deal has played a pivotal role in raising climate ambition, its implementation has so far fallen short of fully including smallholder farmers, workers and SMEs in trading partner countries in the global effort towards climate neutrality. As EU climate and sustainability policies increasingly influence global production and trade patterns, their impacts are often felt most strongly in partner countries. In the absence of adequate safeguards and support measures, these dynamics can contribute to environmental degradation, such as soil and air pollution or deforestation, as well as to social challenges, such as poor working conditions, highlighting the need for a more inclusive approach to the green transition.

Through the Global Green Deal call to action, in partnership with SOLIDAR, Fairtrade International, and the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), the Fair Trade Advocacy Office has been advocating for the need to address these global spillover effects and by calling for stronger alignment between climate action, Fair Trade and sustainable development. It helped bring attention to the responsibilities of major economies to ensure that their climate strategies do not externalise costs onto workers, smallholder farmers and producing countries.