The European Union is reported to be currently split over how ambitious to make its new climate change target for 2040, putting into doubt plans to strike a deal at the upcoming summit on September 18, 2025.
The EU countries are negotiating a legally binding goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% from 1990 levels by 2040, with an option to partly meet this target by purchasing foreign carbon credits.
However, member states such as France, Poland, and the Czech Republic want to postpone the agreement and escalate discussions to government leaders.
The key issues causing division include how much of the emissions reduction can be achieved through foreign carbon credits, which would lessen the burden on European industries.
The European Commission had suggested that countries buy credits to cover 3% of their 2040 emissions target from 2036, but these numbers remain contested.
The EU presidency, held by Denmark, has attempted to broker a compromise but an agreement by next week is uncertain.
Failure to strike a deal could mean the EU misses the mid-September deadline to submit new climate plans to the U.N. ahead of the global COP climate summit in November 2025.
The divisions also reflect broader tensions about how much to invest in climate action while also managing defense spending and supporting struggling industries.
The negotiations continue internally, with EU ambassadors scheduled to discuss the carbon credit issue and other provisions to assure industries of impact assessments for future green policies.