Key points
- Brussels announces it will stick to main objective announced last year of reducing emissions
- Hoekstra describes 2040 target as “the next step” in strengthening EU’s competitiveness
- Proposal to now go to European Parliament and European Council for debate and adoption
ISLAMABAD: The European Commission has proposed a legally binding target to reduce the EU’s net greenhouse gas emissions by 90 per cent by 2040 compared to 1990 levels.
AFP reported that after months of tough talks, Brussels announced it would stick to the headline objective announced last year of cutting emissions by 90 per cent by 2040, compared to 1990 levels.
The 2040 target — which needs sign off from the European Union’s member states and parliament — is a key milestone towards the bloc’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
“Full responsibility”
“As European citizens increasingly feel the impact of climate change, they expect Europe to act. Industry and investors look to us to set a predictable direction of travel,” DW cited European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as saying.
The 2040 target builds on the existing 2030 goal of cutting emissions by at least 55 per cent and introduces new flexibilities, including limited use of international carbon credits after 2036, integration of carbon removals into the EU Emissions Trading System and greater sectoral flexibility, according to Turkish media.
European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera and Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra presented the proposal at a joint press conference, stressing the need to balance climate responsibility with economic resilience.
“The next step”
Ribera said 85 per cent of EU citizens see climate change as one of the biggest threats and called for “full responsibility” in responding to what she described as the most essential challenge of this generation.
Hoekstra described the 2040 target as “the next step” in strengthening the EU’s competitiveness, security and climate goals.
The proposal will now go to the European Parliament and European Council for debate and adoption under the ordinary legislative procedure. It will guide the EU’s post-2030 climate and energy framework and serve as the bloc’s contribution ahead of COP30 in Brazil later this year.
