EU Weakens Climate Target: EU Agrees on 90-Percent Climate Target For 2040 - Greenpeace And WWF Criticize Watered-Down Measures

Brussels (Belgium) / Berlin (Germany) - Just ahead of the UN Climate Conference in Brazil, EU environment ministers have reportedly agreed in Brussels, after lengthy and tough negotiations, on a climate target for 2040.

Accordingly, greenhouse gas emissions in the EU are to fall by 66.25-72.5 percent by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. By 2040, emissions are to decrease by 90 percent. Both targets were approved by the EU environment ministers last night in Brussels. However, regarding the 90 percent target for 2040, up to five percentage points may be offset through the purchase of international carbon credits. In practice, this means the EU only has to achieve a reduction of 85 percent. The original EU proposal had initially allowed a maximum of three percentage points for offsetting emissions through certificates from third countries.

In addition to relaxing the reduction targets, the environment ministers also decided to postpone the start of the emissions trading system for transport and buildings by one year to 2028.

Some countries, including Poland and Hungary, had expressed concerns about rising energy prices. France and Portugal called for higher quotas for international certificates, while Poland and Italy requested up to ten percentage points.

Greenpeace and WWF criticized the ministers’ decisions. “With the 2035 climate target adopted at the last minute, the EU is significantly behind the recommendations of its own climate advisory board. Its also-adopted CO₂ target for 2040 of minus 90 percent can hardly be achieved this way. By 2035, emissions would already need to be reduced by at least 77 percent. This is fatal for the EU’s credibility,” warns Sarah Zitterbarth from Greenpeace.

Viviane Raddatz from WWF emphasizes: “With regard to the 2040 target, the use of international certificates and further watering down of the target value carry significant risks and are much more expensive under strict standards than reducing emissions directly within the EU. The massive relaxations of the Green Deal, the postponement of emissions trading for transport and buildings, and further revisions of emissions trading for energy and industry do not indicate that EU member states are determined to implement the agreed target effectively.”

Source: IWR Online, 06 Nov 2025