EU Seeks ‘Face-Saving’ Deal on UN Climate Target

AFP/APP

Brussels, Belgium: EU countries will seek Thursday to settle on an emissions-cutting plan to present at a key UN climate conference in Brazil, as internal divisions threaten the bloc’s long-standing role as a global leader on climate action.

Environment ministers of the 27-nation bloc are gathering in Brussels with the clock ticking toward a United Nations deadline to submit 2035 climate plans.

The EU, the world’s fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China, the United States, and India, has been among the most ambitious on climate action.

Brussels initially intended to base its UN submission for November’s COP30 conference in Belem, Brazil, on a tougher 2040 goal. However, disagreements among member states have left the plan in limbo, forcing diplomats to search for a last-minute compromise.

Denmark, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, has suggested submitting a “statement of intent” instead of a binding target. The draft proposal includes a pledge to reduce emissions by 66.3 to 72.5 percent compared to 1990 levels, with the final figure to be agreed later.

“This approach would ensure the EU does not go to the UN Climate Summit empty-handed,” a spokesperson for the Danish presidency said. But even that compromise is uncertain, with negotiations expected to be lengthy. One European diplomat half-joked that reporters should “bring a sleeping bag.”

Better than nothing

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, nearly 200 countries were expected to submit updated climate policies by February, outlining 2035 emissions targets and strategies. The deadline was later extended to September, giving countries time to finalize their pledges before COP30 begins on November 10.

While not as strong as a formal submission, the EU’s proposed “statement of intent” would be “much better than nothing,” according to a senior diplomat. Elisa Giannelli of the E3G climate advocacy group said it would at least “save the EU’s face at the international level.”

The UN has urged world leaders, including EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, to announce their commitments at next week’s UN General Assembly in New York.

The EU has already cut emissions by 37 percent since 1990 and remains committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 under its European Green Deal. Yet climate has increasingly slipped down the EU’s political agenda amid the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as security and defence dominate leaders’ discussions.

Political headwinds

The European Commission’s proposal to cut emissions by 90 percent by 2040—intended as the basis for the UN submission—has become bogged down. Denmark and Spain support the target, but Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic argue it is unrealistic and harmful to industry.

France, facing economic and political turmoil, has also hesitated, calling for a clearer investment framework before committing to new targets.

“We are not living in a European Green Deal era anymore,” Giannelli noted, criticising what she called a “short-sighted” view that climate action is costly rather than an opportunity for growth and competitiveness.

Last week, Paris and Berlin called for the 2040 target to be discussed at an October leaders’ summit, effectively delaying a decision the Commission had hoped to secure this week. Environmental groups warned the delay sends a “bad signal” and undermines EU credibility.

“The bloc is losing its climate leadership,” said Michael Sicaud-Clyet of WWF.

Still, EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra expressed optimism: “We continue to work together to find a compromise, and I believe a deal on 2040 can still be reached before COP30.”