The EU Council of Ministers and representatives of the EU Parliament have reached a preliminary agreement on a binding climate target that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040 compared to 1990 levels. The EU Council of Ministers writes this in a press release.
- Today, Europe has come together on a clear direction for climate policy, based on science and with the protection of our security and competitiveness, says Lars Aagaard (M), who is Denmark's Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, in the press release.
- The agreement between the Council (EU Council of Ministers, ed.) and the EU Parliament on a target for 2040 is crucial, and I am really proud of what we have achieved together, he adds.
Denmark holds the presidency of the EU Council of Ministers until the end of the year. The agreement is a crucial step towards the EU's long-term goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050.
The majority of the reductions must be made in the EU, but five percent can be covered by CO2 credits, the press release says. Trading in CO2 credits is a controversial measure, where countries and companies can buy reductions elsewhere.
The EU Parliament and EU countries must each give formal approval before the changes can become law. This is normally a formality, writes the Reuters news agency.
The European Climate Law, adopted in 2021, forms the legal basis for the EU's long-term climate policy in line with the Paris Agreement. It sets a binding, economy-wide target of climate neutrality by 2050 and a 2030 target of reducing net emissions by at least 55 percent. The Climate Act also allows for the setting of a medium-term climate target for 2040.
Von der Leyen: Pragmatic and flexible plan
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, calls the provisional agreement on the social media X "a pragmatic and flexible plan to make this transition our competitive advantage".
- The political agreement on the climate target for 2040 is good news. One month after COP30 (this year's climate summit, ed.), Europe is connecting words with action, she writes.
After COP30, which took place in Brazil in November, it was said by Climate Minister Lars Aagaard that the EU was strongly dissatisfied with the text of the agreement.
The reason was that the Arab countries, India, China and Russia voted strongly against adopting a path away from fossil fuels.
- It was not an easy decision for the EU. We are having a very difficult time with this agreement, said Lars Aagaard after the negotiations, which lasted 36 hours.
/ritzau/
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