New report: EU countries are well on their way to meeting 2030 climate targets
Climate has recently been pushed down the political agenda due to Trump’s tariffs, the war in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East.
Nevertheless, EU countries are well on their way to meeting a central target in the EU’s climate ambitions. This is shown in a new report from the European Commission.
- It’s good news for the climate. It’s good news for the economy.
- There’s still work to be done, and we will continue that work, says EU Commissioner for Climate Wopke Hoekstra.
In the report, the European Commission has assessed the national energy and climate plans of the EU member states.
- It’s an assessment of what decision-makers in the EU countries are doing to meet the climate targets, says EU Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen.
- The report shows that there is no setback for the climate fight. On the contrary, we’re heading in the right direction.
According to the report, with their current plans, the EU countries are collectively on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 percent compared to 1990 levels.
The 54 percent reduction is one percentage point short of the EU’s 2030 target of 55 percent.
That means it won’t take much more to reach the important milestone on the road to climate neutrality by 2050, says Wopke Hoekstra.
- I’m convinced that we can and will meet the target.
- We will continue the dialogue with member states and help spread best practices across the EU, he says.
According to the European Commission, EU countries have “significantly” strengthened their plans following a warning from the Commission in December 2023.
At the same time, the war in Ukraine has accelerated the transition to renewable energy.
The war has led EU countries to reduce their purchases of fossil energy from Russia and replace part of it with renewable energy.
Now the European Commission wants to take the next step. Dan Jørgensen recently presented a roadmap for a definitive farewell to Russian energy.
He highlights that EU countries collectively installed 78 gigawatts of renewable energy last year and are on track to install 89 gigawatts this year.
- This shows that the EU is staying the course in terms of its climate commitments, is decisively investing in the transition to clean energy, and is prioritizing the EU’s industrial competitiveness and the social dimension, the report states.
According to the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) and the Danish Chamber of Commerce, the business community supports the development, which also strengthens the EU’s independence and energy supply security.
- Companies are investing in the green transition and want to continue down that path, says DI’s Head of Climate Policy, Anne Højer Simonsen.
At the press conference, EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra also floated the idea of setting a new 2040 climate target to help meet the 2050 goals.
- I’m increasingly confident that we will agree on an ambitious 2040 target before the summer, she stated at the press conference.
