Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun Meets EU Ambassador to Korea... Mutual Cooperation Pledged to Achieve 2050 Carbon Neutrality

Discussion on Carbon Neutral Policy Sharing and Support Measures for Export Companies of Member Countries at City Hall on the 23rd at 2:30 PM

On the 23rd at 2:30 PM, Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, met with Maria Castillo Fernandez, Ambassador of the European Union to Korea, at the International Protocol Room of Busan City Hall to share carbon neutrality policies between the city and the European Union (EU) and discuss cooperation plans to support export companies from EU member countries.

Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun meeting with Maria Castillo Fernandez, Ambassador of the European Union to Korea.

On this day, Mayor Park emphasized, “Busan is developing into a global hub city through the Green Smart City Busan Strategy,” and introduced the circular economy sector that the city is proactively promoting.

He shared initiatives such as the nationwide first introduction of an RFID-based food waste reduction device to recycle waste generated in Busan, the integration of resource circulation facilities, and the Our Neighborhood Social Value Management (ESG) Center project.

In response, Ambassador Fernandez said, “We appreciate Busan’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030,” and added, “The European Union has many agendas for cooperation with Busan in various fields such as waste recycling, smart city operations, marine industries, and the circular economy.” She also introduced the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) support and the Green Deal policy aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, expressing, “We look forward to extensive cooperation between EU member countries and Busan.”

Following this, Mayor Park shared preparations for the upcoming United Nations Plastic Treaty Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting to be held at BEXCO in November.

The 5th session of the United Nations Plastic Treaty Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting (INC-5), scheduled from November 25 to December 1 at BEXCO, will feature a variety of events including forums, seminars, and exhibitions centered on plastics. Participants and citizens will be able to experience sculptures by local artists and media works themed on plastics.

Mayor Park concluded the meeting by stating about the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which will be implemented by the European Union starting January 1, 2026, “Since many small and medium-sized enterprises exporting to the EU are located in Busan, I hope that through active information sharing and exchange cooperation between the city and the EU, the system will be stably established and greatly contribute to reducing carbon emissions.”

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a system that imposes and collects carbon pricing equally on products imported from outside the European Union.