The European Union is working towards finalising a new climate change target for 2040 by September, with most member states signalling support for a deal, although opposition from several Central European countries threatens to delay progress.
At a meeting in Aalborg, Denmark, on Friday, climate ministers from across the EU gathered to advance negotiations on the proposed emissions reduction target, which would see the bloc cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% from 1990 levels by 2040. The proposal, unveiled by the European Commission last week, allows for limited use of international carbon credits to help meet the goal.
Denmark, which assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU at the start of July, is leading the negotiations. The Danish Ministry of Energy and Climate confirmed on Friday that it intends to reach a political agreement at a summit of EU environment ministers in September.
Lars Aagaard, Denmark’s climate minister, stated that time was of the essence: “It is extremely important that we unite the EU around new climate goals… We have a very small window to put a bow on these negotiations.”
Three sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told Reuters that a clear majority of the EU’s 27 member states support the objective of finalising the 2040 target within the proposed timeframe. However, opposition from Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic has complicated efforts to reach consensus.
Polish deputy climate minister Krzysztof Bolesta voiced concern over the pace of the talks. “This is not a decision that we can just take lightly. It’s affecting the whole economy. Working under such time pressure is just not reasonable,” he told.
Government spokespersons from both Hungary and the Czech Republic confirmed their countries were not in favour of the September deadline, citing insufficient time to assess the implications of the target and the proposed flexibilities.
The Commission has attempted to address such reservations by including provisions for flexibility, particularly for industry. These would allow certain sectors some leeway in meeting the 90% reduction target. However, Bolesta said ministers had raised doubts during Friday’s session over how those flexibilities would be defined and implemented.
The EU is also under external pressure to act. A mid-September deadline looms for the bloc to submit a 2035 climate target to the United Nations, in line with its commitments under the Paris Agreement. The Commission has recommended that this target be derived from the 2040 emissions goal, making internal consensus on the latter critical for the EU’s international climate posture.
While there is broad agreement among western and northern member states on the need for an ambitious target, the political mood across the EU is complex. The proposed climate target comes at a time when European governments are also grappling with increased defence expenditure, supply chain disruptions, and rising energy costs. These competing priorities have heightened concerns in some quarters about the economic burden of climate policy.
The debate also reflects a wider divergence within the EU over the speed and scale of decarbonisation. Several member states, particularly in Eastern Europe, have expressed concern that rapid emissions reductions could impact national industries and energy systems that remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
Nevertheless, the Danish presidency is pressing ahead, hoping to secure agreement before the autumn, when attention in Brussels is expected to shift more heavily towards security and economic competitiveness issues in the new legislative cycle.
Climate policy has remained one of the flagship initiatives of the European Commission under its European Green Deal framework. While the bloc has already legislated for a net-zero emissions goal by 2050, the interim 2040 target is seen as critical to maintaining momentum and ensuring the EU remains on a trajectory consistent with its long-term objectives.
In recent years, Europe has experienced increasingly severe impacts from climate change, including record-breaking heatwaves, wildfires, and droughts. According to the European Environment Agency, the continent is warming at roughly twice the global average rate.
Photographs of French firefighters battling wildfires in the Fontfroide massif near Narbonne this week served as a stark backdrop to the Aalborg meeting, highlighting the urgency of the talks. The fires, fuelled by extreme temperatures, are part of a broader pattern of intensifying climate-related disasters across the region.
