Overview
- EU environment ministers approved a stopgap intent declaration instead of a binding pledge, agreeing only to a 2035 emissions corridor.
- The corridor ranges from a 66.25% to 72.5% reduction versus 1990 levels, reflecting figures derived from existing EU policies rather than a new fixed target.
- The EU plans to present the intention at next week’s UN General Assembly in New York, with officials expecting to miss the end‑of‑month UN deadline for a concrete 2035 plan.
- The European Commission’s proposal for a legally binding 90% cut by 2040, allowing up to about 3% via international credits, faces pushback from Italy, Czechia and Hungary, while France seeks more industry support.
- Governments elevated the 2040 decision to an October EU leaders’ summit that requires unanimity, prompting warnings of likely blockage as critics decry the outcome and urge aiming at or above the corridor’s upper end.