Weak statement of intent: ENVI Council signals only indicative 2035 target to UN, Member States must now agree on an ambitious 2040 target in October.
Brussels, 18 September 2025 –
At today’s ENVI Council meeting, EU environment ministers discussed only a weak statement of intent on the NDC, falling short of providing clear and ambitious commitments on the 2040 target to the international community.
This comes despite a broad coalition of European businesses, major city networks, regional governments and civil society organisations recently urging the EU to adopt a science-based 2040 target of at least a 90% emissions cut, free of loopholes, together with an ambitious NDC. Such clarity would provide the predictability that European regions and industries need to accelerate the transition.
“It is a shame that the EU did not meet this deadline, which has been known for many months. We recognise the big efforts that the Danish Presidency has undertaken in recent weeks to get the 2040 target and the EU NDC over the finishing line, but these efforts have been derailed by a few Member States, despite already many concessions being made. While this situation severely undermines the EU’s ambition for being a global leader in climate action, the time pressure should not lead to a lower ambition for the actual 2035 reduction target. The EU must now get its act together and agree on an ambitious 2040 target and the related NDC as soon as possible before COP30” – Sven Harmeling, Head of Climate at Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe.
European Climate Law and the 2040 target
Discussions were limited to a policy exchange on proposed amendments to the European Climate Law, with the unresolved 2040 target based on the 90% reduction proposed by the European Commission and supported by many members at its core. This follows the postponement of a formal decision on the target itself, after several Member States insisted on deferring the matter to the European Council in October. Such repeated delays are deeply concerning: rather than advancing a coherent climate pathway, Ministers once again extended the timeline, undermining both predictability and the EU’s credibility in international climate diplomacy.
Impact on the NDC
Without agreement on the 2040 target, the EU cannot complete its NDC. Both the European Commission and many Member States underlined today that the 2035 milestone depends on a 2040 decision.
Instead of a formal submission, Ministers endorsed only a statement of intent, first tabled by the Danish Presidency on 12 September. This text provides an indicative signal of 2035 emission reductions (66.25 to 72.5%) to the international community, which, however, in CAN Europe’s view falls far short of the required ambition level that would be in line with reaching climate neutrality in 2040. The EU can present this at the UN Climate Ambition Summit on 24 September, but falls short of submitting a full NDC. As a consequence, the EU will miss the UNFCCC deadline of 29 September.
Final adoption of both the 2040 target and the EU’s NDC is foreseen in October ahead of UNFCCC COP30, yet this will come only after the official deadline and risks further undermining the EU’s climate credibility on the global stage.
Further readings
Enabling a 2040 climate-neutral EU
—ENDS—
For more information and media requests:
James O’Connor, Senior Communications Coordinator,
Email: james.oconnor@caneurope.org, Ph: +353 87 036 1782
