Environment ministers from the EU’s 27 member states are meeting in Brussels on Thursday in a bid to agree on a new to take to an upcoming climate summit.
The gathering comes amid wide divisions in the bloc, making it likely that the EU will attend the summit next week without the updated climate targets that are meant to be discussed there ahead of the key COP 30 conference in in November.
What has caused the delay in putting forward a climate plan?
The nearly 200 countries that signed up to the 2015 on climate action were already called on by the UN to put forward updated policies on curbing emissions in February, a deadline that was extended till the end of September.
Denmark and Spain are among the EU nations that approve a European Commission proposal to cut emissions by 90% by 2040, which was to form the basis of the plan to present to the UN for goals to be achieved by 2035.
But others, like Hungary, the Czech Republic and , say they fear the goal is too ambitious and would damage the European economy.
Last week, Germany, and Poland called for the 2040 target to be discussed at a leaders’ summit in October, thus delaying a decision that the European Commission had hoped could be reached at Thursday’s meeting.
Now, the EU ministers will instead try to agree at least a “statement of intent” with the goals that the bloc eventually hopes to approve.
Security, defense concerns take priority
Although the EU has established the goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 under its so-called European Green Deal, security and defense concerns are sidelining action to curb global warming amid wars and
Economic problems caused by Chinese competition and the steep tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have also led the European Commission to focus on promoting industry rather than climate action.
Edited by Sean Sinico
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