EU unequivocally commits to achieving its delayed 2035 climate goal ahead of the COP30 conference.
The European Union (EU) has reached an agreement on its climate targets, paving the way for a new emissions-cutting goal to be delivered before the COP30 climate summit in November. However, the drawn-out negotiations signal difficult talks ahead for the formal NDC agreement.
The EU's new target will fall between 66.25% and 72.5% of a 1990 baseline level of CO2 emissions. The agreement comes after several governments, such as Slovakia, expressed opposition to the higher end of the range, while countries like Spain and Germany favoured a more ambitious plan.
The EU's leaders were not initially included on a provisional list published before Thursday's agreement for the New York meeting. To avoid showing up empty-handed, countries resorted to drafting a 'statement of intent'. This two-page missive to the U.N. promised to deliver an NDC (nationally determined contribution).
The EU has been called a global climate leader by Danish Climate Minister Lars Aagaard, and EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra is confident they can walk into New York next week. However, the EU's 27 national governments will now have to decide whether to aim for a hard target or the wide range included in the statement of intent for the 2035 plan.
Hoekstra indicated that he would be comfortable with either a specific figure or a range as the formal target for 2035. Austria has announced interest in an ambitious EU climate target for the year 2035, advocating for a 90% reduction by 2040 to drive innovation and strengthen Europe's competitiveness. Discussions on the EU climate goal and an updated national contribution for 2035 are ongoing among EU environment ministers.
The postponement of the approval of the 2035 goal derailed initial plans, but the European Commission and Denmark, which currently leads negotiations among EU governments, hailed the agreement as a show of unity. The agreement only kicks the can down the road for a few weeks until ministers meet again to agree on the formal NDC.
France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and a few other countries formed a blocking minority and delayed the discussion on the 2040 target until national leaders meet in late October. The United Nations has called on world leaders to present their climate plans for 2035 at a meeting in New York next Wednesday.
Notably, the article was updated on Sept. 18 to remove a quote wrongly attributed to Mary Robinson. The EU's leaders will deliver a new emissions-cutting target before the COP30 climate summit in November, but the road to agreement remains long and challenging.
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