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Climate Policy of the European Union

The EU continues to be a driving force in global climate policy. The 2030 emissions reduction target of 55 per cent (net, compared to 1990) puts the EU in a leading position among industrialised countries. However, conflicts have repeatedly arisen between the ambitious member states of north-west Europe and the less ambitious governments of central and eastern Europe. In addition to these more stable conflict cleavages, there are often fluid alliances that come together depending on the climate policy issue at hand. This was also evident in the negotiations on a net-zero target for greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and on tightening the target for emission reductions by 2030. The EU is facing difficult political decisions when it comes to updating the climate policy architecture for 2031-2040 – particularly with regard to how to counterbalance "hard-to-abate" emissions in industry and agriculture.

Since 2019, the EU Commission has been pursuing a reorientation of climate policy centred around the “Green Deal”. This included various policy areas such as financial, agricultural, trade and development policy, and extensive legislative packages were launched. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European energy and climate policy found itself confronted with a new political situation. However, the further development of increasingly ambitious climate policy was not halted: important elements of the "Fit-for-55" legislative package were successfully implemented despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.

The European Union will have to work with its international partners to bring the key decisions of the Paris Agreement to life, while at the same time linking them to the realignment of foreign and security policy interests. This involves contributions to the five-year review cycle (Global Stocktake) of the "nationally determined contributions" (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and technology options for achieving the 2-degree or 1.5-degree target. The costs of security and economic crisis management in Europe will increase political pressure to further prioritize economic competitiveness and the resilience of supply chains. Whether this is at the expense of ambitious climate action will be decided when the 2040 emissions target is adopted and the climate policy instruments are subsequently updated.

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