The EU is to unveil its climate goals for 2040 and a roadmap for the next phase of the energy transition amid growing criticism from conservatives and representatives of the right-wing political spectrum. This is reported by AFP, UNN reports.
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The European Union has pledged to become carbon-neutral by 2050 and has set the first interim target for 2030: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels.
The working documents stipulate that by 2040, the European Commission intends to achieve a net reduction in emissions of 90%, which correlates with the planned emission reduction rates for 2020-2030.
But the publication notes that this time Brussels should take into account the growing dissatisfaction, as evidenced by farmers' protests, with the social and economic consequences of the "green course.
After successfully solving the problem of the "green" transition in transport, energy, and industry, the Green Deal is on the path to a clash with the farming world and its defenders in the European Parliament.
Across Europe, backlash against climate targets is growing louder on the right of the political spectrum, with some leaders calling for a "pause" in new environmental regulations.
Last month, EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra warned that the bloc must continue to stand on "two legs" - with climate ambitions on the one hand, and on the other, "to ensure that our businesses remain competitive so that there is a fair transition.
Achieving this balance is at the heart of a joint letter to Brussels sent by 11 countries, including France, Germany and Spain, which was seen by AFP. Together, they call on the European Commission to set an "ambitious EU climate target" for 2040.
But states also call for a "fair and just transition" that should "leave no one behind, especially the most vulnerable citizens.
As far-right and nationalist parties are projected to make significant gains in the June European elections, the climate debate has become politically explosive.
The EU executive has been obliged to present new climate projections for the period beyond 2030 within six months of the December COP28 climate conference. The targets set out on Tuesday will be mere recommendations. But the next European Commission, which will be appointed after the elections, will be tasked with turning them into legislation that member states and EU lawmakers can consider before next year's COP30 climate conference.
The bloc's 2040 targets are expected to depend in part on capturing and storing significant amounts of carbon dioxide, which is fuelling campaigners who criticize these technologies as unproven and want to hear promises of gross emissions reductions.
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