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13h ago

EU Leaders Set Terms for 2040 Climate Goal, Stop Short of Backing Target

Leaders settled on vague guidance that adds “enabling conditions,” leaving a final decision to ministers on November 4.

European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
EU flags flutter in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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Overview

  • Summit conclusions were approved unchanged from the draft, outlining conditions such as a possible revision clause and support measures without endorsing the 90% by 2040 target.
  • Ministers are due to reconvene on November 4 to try to approve the new goal ahead of COP30 in Brazil, with diplomats divided on whether the path to a deal has materially improved.
  • Ursula von der Leyen’s letter offering concessions — including limits on a new carbon price for transport fuels, exemptions for small farmers, and openness to review the 2035 engine ban — helped unlock Thursday’s agreement, diplomats said.
  • Several countries pressed for flexibility, with Poland and Italy seeking delays or rule changes and leaders seeking assurances that other sectors will not be forced to compensate if forest carbon sinks underperform.
  • The debate focused on aligning climate policy with industrial competitiveness, and some read the text as leaving room to slow the planned carbon tax on heating and transport, although others disputed that interpretation.