EU considers adopting carbon credits to achieve its 2040 climate target.（Photo: iStock）
It will require a great deal of effort to win over the majority of EU member states by September to agree on a 2040 climate target for the bloc, as well as find unanimity for the union’s 2035 target required under the Paris Agreement, said German environment minister Carsten Schneider.
“This is a major challenge, and we must focus in particular on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and their specific circumstances,” said Schneider at a book presentation in Berlin. “That is why I am concentrating my bilateral cooperation primarily on these countries – Poland, Romania, Czechia, and Slovakia – to keep them on board.”
The German government fully supports the European Commission's proposal presented in July, said the minister. The proposal is for a net emissions reduction of 90 percent by 2040, based on 1990 levels, and contains certain flexibilities aimed at making it more politically palatable. This includes allowing a capped amount of international carbon credits to help reach the goal – a first for EU climate targets, as both the 2030 and 2050 targets have to be met with only domestic action. The draft is currently being debated in the European Parliament and among member state governments, ahead of final negotiations between the two.
The EU must also decide a target for 2035 as part of the climate plan it has to present to the UN – the so-called nationally determined contribution (NDC). The European Commission has said that the 2035 target will be an interim target, derived from the 2040 target. This will need to be agreed on by all 27 EU countries – rather than the qualified majority required to pass the 2040 target. The UN has set a September deadline, in time for the climate change conference COP30 in Brazil at the end of the year.
Schneider also reiterated that his ministry would push the full government to present a comprehensive climate action programme by the end of the year. The government is legally required to present a programme of measures in all sectors to ensure that the national 2030 and 2040 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets are met. It must decide on the programme by March 2026 at the latest, but Schneider said he wants “political clarity” sooner. Germany has several regional elections scheduled for 2026, so an earlier adoption would guarantee “full political support,” he said.
Author：Julian Wettengel
This article was originally published on Clean Energy Wire under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence. Read the original article.
