Overview

• The Patriots for Europe group, Parliament’s third-largest faction, outbid the European People’s Party in a July 8 closed-door session to win rapporteurship over the European Commission’s recent 90% emissions reduction proposal.
• As rapporteur, the Patriots will draft the Parliament’s initial position on the 2040 target to guide talks with EU governments before the bloc’s September submission for COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
• Mainstream MEPs expressed shock at the appointment and have scheduled votes to fast-track or reassign the file prior to the start of formal autumn negotiations.
• The Patriots group opposes the Green Deal and has signaled it may water down the 2040 target, heightening tensions over the bloc’s climate ambition as record heatwaves underscore Europe’s vulnerability.
• Observers warn this procedural power play highlights how point-based committee assignments can reshape the EU’s climate agenda as negotiators prepare for the fall talks.