Breath of relief as EU commits to CO2 reduction climate goal ahead of COP30
After months of political impasse, EU environment ministers backed the revision of the EU's climate law, paving the way for a decision on the global 2035 climate target to be presented next week at COP30.
The EU's environment ministers agreed on Wednesday on the bloc's domestic climate target to cut CO2 emissions by 2040, after intense political pressure to deliver on climate commitments and maintain Brussels' role as a climate action leader at next week's COP30 UN climate summit.
The EU27 agreed on a range to set a 2035 climate target to reduce net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 66.25–72.5% below 1990 levels, covering all sectors of the economy and all GHGs, including methane.
The range takes into account the 2040 climate target, setting the path to cut emissions by 90% and will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
"We are sending a strong signal ahead of COP30 that we remain fully committed to keeping the goals of the Paris Agreement. It enables us to push for more global climate action when we meet the rest of the world at COP30," said Lars Aagaard, Denmark's minister for climate.
Nationally determined contributions or NDCs are a key outcome of the Paris Agreement, which requires each party to the convention to update its climate plans every five years. They set out the efforts each country has made to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Currently, there is a significant lack of NDCs. Around 70 parties have submitted them, while close to 200 have not.
EU officials want to make sure COP30 in the Brazilian city of Belém sends the signal that the clean transition is irreversible, a senior official at the European Commission said, adding that this year's COP is about ambition for implementation and how to close the gap in emissions reduction.
"We want to reinforce the importance and value of multilateralism. We want to show the Paris Agreement is working and delivering," the Commission official added.
This year's climate summit is also expected to pledge more finance to struggling nations, namely those mostly affected by climate change, such as islands and countries in the global south.
In 2024, the EU and its 27 member states contributed €31.7 billion in climate finance from public sources. An additional €11 billion in private finance was mobilised to support developing countries in reducing their GHG emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change, according to the Commission.
Carbon pricing
One way to reduce GHG emissions is through carbon pricing, the Commission's official said, describing it as "one of the big priorities" of the EU going to Belém.
The EU uses its own emissions trading system (ETS) as one of the main key financial revenues for the bloc. The EU's carbon border tax will also raise funds, starting in January 2026, to be channelled into the green transition.
Last year, carbon pricing generated around €40 billion, which was reinvested in the economy, the EU official said, adding that while investments in clean energy have doubled, the pace remains "too slow".
"We need to make sure the world economy and investors understand there is only one way to invest in the future," the EU official said in reference to clean technologies.
Maja Pozvek, senior EU affairs manager at the Clean Air Task Force think tank, regretted the lack of ambition of the 2040 climate target, noting it will be reflected in the EU's contribution at COP30.
"If the EU is serious about decarbonisation as part of its growth strategy it must champion clean technologies and seize opportunities for first-mover advantage, not settle for the lowest common denominator," Pozvek said.
EU ministers agree weakened climate target to take to Brazil summit
European Union environment ministers have agreed on a diluted 2040 climate target after all-night talks in Brussels, and were due to finalise the deal on Wednesday – days before the UN Cop30 summit opens in Brazil.
Issued on: 05/11/2025 - RFI
The agreement keeps the EU’s headline goal of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040 compared with 1990 levels, but adds loopholes that allow countries to meet part of the target through foreign carbon credits and postpone some climate policies.
After more than 18 hours of negotiations that stretched past midnight, a majority of the bloc’s 27 member states gave preliminary backing to the compromise.
Ministers were to reconvene on Wednesday to give it formal approval.
“We believe we have the basis for a political deal. We expect to formally conclude a deal when we resume in a few hours,” said a spokesperson for Denmark, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency and chaired the talks.
Loopholes and offsets
Under the agreement, countries may count international carbon credits towards up to 10 percent of their 2040 target, effectively reducing the domestic cuts required from European industries to 80 percent.
The European Commission had originally proposed a 90 percent cut with only 3 percent of those reductions coming from foreign credits.
France and Portugal supported the higher flexibility, while Spain and the Netherlands opposed it, warning it would weaken Europe’s climate credibility.
Environmental groups said the loopholes undermine the EU’s claim to leadership on climate action by diverting investments away from cleaner industries at home.
Behind only China, the United States and India in emissions, the EU has been the most committed of the major polluters to climate action, already cutting emissions by 37 percent since 1990.
But the bloc’s politics have shifted to the right, and climate priorities now compete with defence and economic pressures.
Countries including Poland, Italy, Hungary and the Czech Republic opposed the original 90 percent plan, warning it would harm industries struggling with high energy costs and competition from cheaper imports.
“We don’t want to destroy the economy. We don’t want to destroy the climate. We want to save both at the same time,” said Polish Deputy Climate Minister Krzysztof Bolesta on Tuesday.
France sought guarantees that its nuclear sector would not lose out under green transition plans, while Spain, Germany and the Nordic nations pushed for stronger targets.
Others, such as the Netherlands and Sweden, cited worsening extreme weather and the need to catch up with China in manufacturing green technologies as reasons for ambitious goals.
Delayed carbon market
To win over sceptical countries, ministers agreed to delay the launch of the EU’s new carbon market for transport and heating fuels by one year, to 2028.
Poland and the Czech Republic had demanded the change, saying the measure could raise fuel prices.
The agreement also calls for extending free pollution permits for heavy industry and keeping low-carbon fuels in road transport, a nod to concerns about the planned 2035 combustion engine phaseout. The 2040 target will also be reassessed every two years.
Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen said Europe’s credibility was on the line.
“We have a lot at stake. We are risking our international leadership, which is fundamental in this extraordinarily complicated context,” she said to reporters on Tuesday.
Ministers also reached agreement on a 2035 emissions target, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution, which Paris Agreement signatories are expected to present at Cop30.
The target was set at between 66.25 and 72.5 percent.
EU officials said the compromise ensures the bloc will not arrive in Brazil empty-handed, even if the result is less ambitious than many had hoped.
They insist Europe remains committed to reaching net zero by 2050 while balancing environmental and economic concerns.
The EU said it mobilised 31.7 billion euros in public climate finance in 2024, making it the world’s largest donor.
(with newswires)
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