Turbulence ahead for the EU’s 2040 climate target

The European Commission is proposing a new emissions reduction target for 2040. However, divisions among member states and within the European Parliament leave a question mark over whether Brussels can build enough support for a new climate goal on the road to net zero in 2050. As some call for more climate ambition and others try to carve out more wiggle room to carry on emitting, the Commission’s roster of climate goals risks fuelling diplomatic battles across Europe.
02 July 2025 at 8h00
Energy
European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. Lukasz Kobus/European Union, 2025
by Damien Genicot Adapted from French by Gabriela Galindo

On 2 July, the European Commission is unveiling a long-awaited legal proposal to set a 2040 emissions reduction target for the European Union. The proposal will come more than a year after the Commission published an impact study recommending that, by 2040, the bloc should aim to have cut net emissions by 90% from 1990 levels. This, it said, would put the EU on the right track to reaching its binding objective of climate neutrality by 2050.

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Further reading

Five things the new EU budget would mean for energy and climate Five things the new EU budget would mean for energy and climate
Jérémie Luciani pour Contexte

Five things the new EU budget would mean for energy and climate

The European Commission has finally unveiled its €2-trillion proposal for the 2028-2034 EU budget — and there’s plenty for energy and climate watchers to dig into. With a fivefold boost in cross-border energy infrastructure spending, 35% of funds earmarked for green priorities, and a notable new role for nuclear, Contexte sets out some key points to take away.
Multiannual financial framework (MFF)
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Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)
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Competitiveness Fund
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Nuclear power
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Energy networks

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