The EU environment ministers on Tuesday are to make a last-ditch attempt to finalise an agreement aimed at reducing the greenhouse gas emission targets before the much-awaited UN climate summit in Brazil.
One of the EU’s top diplomats said that “Coming empty-handed to Belem”, where COP 30 talks are taking place from November 10 to 21, “would severely undermine the Bloc’s credibility”.
Climate talks are expected to stretch into the night among the European Union's 27 member states, due to its ambition to set forth two important climate targets.
Alongside China, the United States, and India, the EU remains among the top five emitters in the world. The bloc has managed to cut 37 per cent of emissions compared to 1990.
Amid the massive shift in the political landscape towards the right, climate concerns have largely taken a back seat to defence and competitiveness.
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The ministers on Tuesday are likely to find it difficult to reach a unanimous deal on an emissions target for 2035, due to wide differences among the nations in the bloc.
The EU executive committee said in July it wanted to cut emissions by 90 per cent by 2040, compared to 1990 levels—a major step towards net-zero.
Spain and the Nordic countries support the 2040 proposal, as does Germany with some caveats. But Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Italy remain opposed, citing risks to their industrial sectors.
The bloc, though, has remained committed to its role as a global climate leader, having mobilised 31.7 billion euros $36.6 billion in public climate finance in 2024, making it the world's largest donor.
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