EU strikes last-ditch deal on climate targets as COP30 looms

The European Union struck a deal Wednesday on the 27-nation bloc’s next major emissions reduction targets in time for the UN’s COP30 climate summit next week, at the cost of deep concessions to reluctant capital.

After months of haggling and marathon overnight negotiations, the bloc avoided the worst-case scenario of showing up empty-handed at the gathering in Brazil, where it hopes to assert its leadership in the fight against global warming.

EU countries have agreed to aim for a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 compared to 1990 levels – a key step towards their goal of becoming carbon neutral by mid-century.

They also agreed on a related 2035 target to present at the UN summit, which EU chief Ursula von der Leyen described as “good news” as she arrived in Belém, northern Brazil, for a leaders’ summit ahead of talks which begin on Monday.

But international carbon credits will be able to count for 5% of the 2040 target, with the possibility of countries claiming an additional 5% in future reviews – one of a series of concessions criticized by environmentalists.

Greenpeace said the final compromise “falls significantly short” of what is expected of the bloc of 450 million people – and relies on what it considers “offshore carbon laundering”.

“It’s like promising to run a marathon by only training for 10 kilometers, taking the bus for the last mile and reserving the right to stay home if it rains,” said Greenpeace activist Thomas Gelin.

Radical changes

Behind China, the United States and India in terms of emissions, the EU is the most committed of the major polluters to climate action and has already reduced its emissions by 37% compared to 1990 levels.

But after leading the way, the EU’s political landscape has shifted to the right, and climate concerns have taken a back seat to defense and competitiveness – with some capitals fearing that greening the European economy will hurt growth.

The EU needed the support of a weighted majority of countries to meet the 2040 climate target set by the European Commission, which involves radical changes in industry and daily life.

Ministers also needed unanimous agreement on the EU’s 2035 emissions target, known as the nationally determined contribution (NDC), which signatories to the Paris agreement are expected to bring to COP30.

This target, set between 66.25% and 72.5%, was also agreed overnight.

“A little painful”

To convince the most skeptical, the Brussels negotiations led to an extension of “flexibilities” for member states, including the contested mechanism allowing countries to take into account carbon credits purchased to finance projects outside Europe.

Countries including Poland and Hungary have also won support to delay by a year, from 2027 to 2028, the launch of a new European carbon market for the road transport and industrial heating sectors – which critics fear will drive up fuel prices.

And, another very welcome element, EU countries have agreed that the overall objective of 2040 be periodically reassessed.

“It’s a deal that is pragmatic, ambitious, brings speed and flexibility,” EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra told a news conference.

French Environment Minister Monique Barbut said France was “extremely satisfied”, while acknowledging that the agreement process was “a little painful” in the face of strong resistance from Italy in particular.

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said EU countries were “moving forward together, in concert” and that “on this basis, Europe can play a leading role at the World Climate Conference.”

Environmental groups have accused countries of undermining the bloc’s climate ambitions by encouraging the creation of fault lines.

Sven Harmeling, of the Climate Action Network Europe, said the agreement was “much weaker than the 90% headline suggests”.

But Linda Kalcher of the Strategic Perspectives think tank called the result “a major success, even if it has a bitter aftertaste.”

“This shows that the EU is staying the course on its decarbonization,” she said.

© 2025 AFP