EU Ministers Near Agreement to Weaken 2040 Climate Target
After 18 hours of intense negotiations, European Union environment ministers reached a preliminary agreement on a diluted climate target for 2040. The discussions, held in Brussels, extended late into Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, involving all 27 EU member countries.
Lengthy Negotiations and Preliminary Approval
The EU's environment ministers met to decide on emissions-cutting goals for both 2035 and 2040. Talks stalled until well after midnight, but a majority of countries eventually gave a tentative "take it or leave it" approval to the proposed text on the 2040 target.
“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, the country chairing the talks. Ministers planned to reconvene at 7:45 a.m.
Draft Agreement Details
The draft agreement, reviewed by POLITICO, significantly weakens the European Commission's original proposal and demands postponement of a key climate law.
- The Commission initially proposed a 90% cut in emissions by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, with countries allowed to outsource 3 percentage points of reductions to other nations.
- This meant the EU would need to achieve at least 87% emissions cuts through domestic measures.
- The draft deal maintains the headline figure but only commits to an 85% domestic emissions reduction, even allowing for the possibility of falling below that level.
Impact of the Agreement
This softer target represents a significant reduction in the EU's climate ambitions for 2040, potentially delaying critical climate legislation and efforts to drastically lower emissions.
Author's summary: The EU ministers' provisional deal lowers the bloc’s 2040 climate target, weakening emissions reduction commitments and postponing important laws needed to meet original goals.