EU Scrambles for Climate Unity Ahead of UN Deadline.
EU countries will try on Thursday to agree on an emissions-cutting plan to present at a key UN climate summit in Brazil, as divisions within the bloc threaten its reputation as a global climate leader.
Environment ministers from the 27 member states are meeting in Brussels with the clock ticking on a UN deadline to submit updated 2035 climate plans. The EU — the world’s fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China, the US, and India — has long positioned itself as the most ambitious on climate action.
But its 2040 target remains deadlocked, forcing Denmark, which holds the EU presidency, to propose a fallback: a “statement of intent” pledging a 66.3–72.5% emissions cut compared with 1990 levels. The range could later be narrowed, avoiding the embarrassment of arriving at COP30 in November empty-handed.
“This approach ensures the EU does not go to the UN Climate Summit empty-handed,” a Danish spokesperson said. But diplomats warned that talks could drag on, with one joking reporters might need “a sleeping bag.”
The 2015 Paris Agreement required countries to set tougher 2035 targets, but most missed the February deadline, now extended to September. A senior EU diplomat admitted the proposal was “better than nothing,” while climate advocates said it would “save face” internationally.
The EU has already cut emissions by 37% since 1990 and is legally bound to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Still, political headwinds have shifted. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have moved security to the top of the agenda, right-wing electoral gains have curbed ambition, and the European Commission is focused on protecting industry against Chinese competition and US tariffs.
The commission’s call for a 90% cut by 2040 has split member states. Denmark and Spain want swift approval, but Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic oppose it as unrealistic. France, meanwhile, is demanding clarity on financing decarbonization before signing on.
“We are not living in a European Green Deal era anymore,” said Elisa Giannelli of climate group E3G, warning that some governments now see climate policy only as a cost, not an opportunity.
France and Germany want leaders to revisit the issue at an October summit — delaying a final decision Brussels had hoped for this week. Environmental groups say the indecision undermines EU credibility.
“We continue to work together to find a compromise,” said EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra, adding he still believed a 2040 deal was possible before COP30 opens in Brazil on November 10.
Comments are closed.