By Kate Abnett
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union countries’ leaders will debate how to align ambitious climate goals with improving their companies’ competitiveness on Thursday, seeking to unlock a deal on a new 2040 emissions target despite growing pushback on green measures from some member states.
The EU leaders’ summit takes place amid flagging political momentum for ambitious efforts to fight climate change – with President Donald Trump dismantling U.S. emissions-cutting measures – and despite worsening extreme weather worldwide.
The EU is attempting to pass a new target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 90% by 2040. The goal has stoked pushback from some capitals over how to finance the low-carbon transition alongside priorities like defence and revitalising local businesses.
Ahead of Thursday’s summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told leaders the shift to a clean economy was Europe’s chance to revive flagging industries and cut reliance on Chinese imports.
“Every megawatt-hour and ton of raw materials we save in producing goods and services for ourselves, and for the rest of the world, makes us more competitive and more independent of external suppliers,” von der Leyen said in a letter, seen by Reuters.
“This is a major business opportunity for Europe. Seizing it requires steadfastness and an unrelenting drive to face off our competitors, starting with China,” said the letter, dated October 20.
EU countries are deeply divided over their climate ambitions. Brussels has already scaled back numerous sustainability policies this year in an attempt to contain political pushback, both from EU governments and trade partners including the U.S. and Qatar.
Ahead of the summit, the European Commission vowed to exempt small farmers from its anti-deforestation law and amend an upcoming carbon price scheme for transport fuels, the latter at the request of countries including the Czech Republic and France. Brussels is also considering weakening its 2035 combustion engine ban after pressure from Germany and Italy.
So far, the EU has not watered down its core emissions-cutting targets.
Draft conclusions for the EU summit, seen by Reuters, said leaders would agree to proceed with the 2040 climate goal, which their ministers would then aim to approve at a November 4 meeting, just ahead of the U.N.’s COP30 climate summit.
But the draft also set out conditions for doing this, including adding a “revision clause” to potentially weaken the climate target in future.
Countries including Poland have argued a revision clause is needed in case green technologies do not develop as planned, or economic conditions hamper the investments needed to achieve the climate target.
Leaders will also seek assurances that other industries will not be forced to cut emissions faster, if forests and agricultural lands struggle to absorb enough CO2 emissions to comply with the goal, the draft showed.
EU diplomats said such changes did not go far enough for some governments, who want to weaken the 2040 target, including by allowing them to buy foreign carbon credits to cover more than a proposed 3% share of the goal.
(Reporting by Kate Abnett, Philip Blenkinsop, Andrew Gray, Julia Payne, Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Nia Williams)
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