Uncertainty about greenhouse gas emissions! - EU: We are on track to achieve climate targets by 2030
The European Union is on track to meet its climate targets by 2030, but uncertainty remains over the bloc's ambitions to cut greenhouse gas emissions much further by 2040.
The European Commission expects emissions to fall by 54% by 2030 compared to 1990, very close to its target of 55%, it said, after analysing member states' energy and climate plans for the coming years.
Brussels also pointed to disparities between member states and highlighted the problems of protecting forests and storing carbon. The Commission singled out Belgium, Estonia and Poland, which have not submitted their energy and climate plans, urging them to "do so without delay".
"We have reason to be proud, although we cannot be complacent. We have come a long way, but we are still not where we need to be," said Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen.
The EU has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2050, and Brussels wants to agree an interim target for 2040, with the commission seeking to cut emissions by 90% compared to 1990 levels.
But negotiations are stalling among EU countries on the 2040 target, and the commission has shied away from formally proposing a 90% reduction for member states. For some countries like the Czech Republic and Italy, the target is unrealistic. The bloc has focused this year on boosting the competitiveness of European businesses against fierce competition from the United States and China.
The Commission is considering greater flexibility in its calculations for 2040, including buying carbon credits on international markets. The EU executive insists it will present a formal proposal before the summer and stresses that the bloc will be ready for the upcoming UN climate conference COP30, which will be held in November in the Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil.
The delays have raised concerns among environmental groups, which have called for Europe to take the lead in tackling climate change following US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement after he returned to the White House in January. The organisations also fear a complete dismantling of the European Green Deal, a landmark package of measures that defined the first term of commission chief Ursula von der Leyen but has since come under increasing criticism.
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