European Parliament adopts its position on the 2040 climate target

On 11 November 2025, The Environment, Climate and Food Safety Committee adopted its position on the Commission’s proposal to amend the EU Climate Law, setting a binding target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040 compared with 1990 levels. On 13 November, the committee vote was confirmed in plenary.

Flexibility for Member States

MEPs stress that the green transition should strengthen EU competitiveness, supporting the Commission’s proposal to introduce flexibilities in how targets are met, including:

• From 2036, up to 5 % of emissions reductions may come from high-quality international carbon credits;
• Domestic permanent carbon removals can be used to offset hard-to-abate emissions under the EU ETS;
• Enhanced cross-sector and cross-instrument flexibilities to achieve cost-effective reductions.

MEPs back the postponement of ETS2 (covering fuel emissions in buildings and road transport) from 2027 to 2028.

Review of the 2040 target

The European Commission must assess progress every two years, considering:

• Scientific and technological developments;
• Economic competitiveness;
• Energy prices and their social and business impacts.

Considering the outcome of the review, the 2040 target could be revised or additional measures proposed could be taken to enhance EU’s global competitiveness.

Next steps

The Council and the European Parliament to agree on a common position.

More information

European Parliament Press Release