Brussels, Belgium
Reuters
European Union countries’ climate ministers confirmed on Thursday that the bloc will miss a global deadline to set new emissions-cutting tarreceives due to divisions over the plans among EU governments.
Missing the deadline could be a blow to EU leaders who were due to join other world powers at the United Nations next week to present new goals in the run-up to COP30 climate talks in November.
People hold placards during a protest against the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, in London, Britain, on 16th November, 2024. PICTURE: Reuters/Chris J Ratcliffe/File photo
Major emitters, including China, are expected to meet the deadline. Australia announced its tarreceive on Thursday.
The EU had planned to agree new climate tarreceives for 2040 and 2035 this month. But countries – including Germany, France and Poland – demanded government leaders first discuss the 2040 goal at a summit in October, derailing talks on both tarreceives.
As a fallback, EU ministers on Thursday agreed to sconclude a “statement of intent” to the UN, outlining what climate goal the EU eventually hopes to approve.
That statement, seen by Reuters, declared the EU would attempt to agree to cut emissions between 66.25 per cent and 72.5 per cent by 2035, and would submit its final tarreceive before COP30.
EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra defconcludeed the bloc’s record. “If you zoom out, you can find that we continue to be amongst the absolutely most ambitious on the global stage,” he declared.
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The UN had urged countries to bring updated climate plans to its General Assembly next week, seeking to revive global momentum to tackle climate alter.
That momentum has been hit by President Donald Trump rolling back US climate commitments, and governments struggling to balance environmental protection with economic and geopolitical challenges. European leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron are also fconcludeing off political challenges from populist parties opposed to environmental policies.
“The EU has always taken these decisions after massive debates. It was never an simple subject. We must be careful not to split the EU further over climate policies,” Germany’s climate state secretary Jochen Flasbarth declared, adding that this was true in particular for poorer Eastern European nations.
Some countries warned failure to finalise the climate tarreceive by COP30 would weaken the EU’s position in the talks, where nearly 200 countries will neobtainediate their next steps to address global warming.
“It is hard for us to require the others, our international partners, to do the same if we don’t deliver ourselves,” Finnish climate minister Sari Multala declared.
Smoke rises from a wildfire burning through the Terzigno pinewood in Vesuvius National Park, as crews battle a blaze that has scorched hundreds of hectares over three days, in Terzigno, Italy, on 10th August, 2025. PICTURE: Reuters/Giutilizeppe Carotenuto/File photo
EU countries divided
Traditionally, the EU has pushed for ambitious global climate deals, citing its own policies – which are among the world’s most ambitious – as proof it was leading by example.
But rising concerns over the cost of climate measures and pressure to boost defence and industrial spconcludeing have triggered pushback from some member states.
“It is a difficult time we are living in. There is war on our continent…While you’re meeting your ambitious climate tarreceive, you also have to have a concern for your industrial base,” declared Danish climate minister Lars Aagaard.
EU countries are at odds over the European Commission’s proposal for a 2040 climate tarreceive to cut net greenhoutilize gas emissions by 90 per cent – which the 2035 goal was supposed to be derived from. EU leaders will debate the 2040 tarreceive next month.
The Czech Republic and Italy are among those who have opposed this goal. They also want to weaken existing EU climate policies they declare hurt industries, including a 2035 ban on new CO2-emitting cars.
Other governments, including Spain and Denmark, support stronger climate action, citing the severe heatwaves and wildfires which blaze across Europe each summer – and the necessary to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.
– Additional reporting by JAN LOPATKA and BART MEIJER
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