Europe has new climate targets

The European Union will present its new emissions reduction targets for 2035 and 2040 by the COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, in November, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. The statement comes after the bloc missed a UN deadline, already met by other major economies including China, Reuters reports. "Before COP30 in Belem, we will set NDC targets for 2035 and 2040,” Ursula von der Leyen said in a video message broadcast at an event in Brussels, using the UN acronym for nationally determined contributions. Von der Leyen acknowledged that internal negotiations are difficult, amid divisions among member states over the pace of the green transition. "The world has changed. Global competition is fierce and not always fair. We need more flexibility and pragmatism, but by maintaining direction we offer stability for workers, clarity for businesses and certainty for investors,” she said. France, Germany and Poland have called for the new targets to be debated at the European leaders' summit in October, leaving just weeks for their adoption before COP30.

• Credibility at stake

Analysts, quoted by the international press, warn that the EU, which has built its reputation as a global leader in climate policy, risks losing its international credibility. "The Union's delay gives space to China and Brazil to gain diplomatic ground at COP30,” comment European sources. While the United States, under the Trump administration, reduced its climate commitments, Europe has been forced to redirect some of its resources to defense, and the costs of the green transition have generated social and political tensions in several member states. The Belem summit will be the first major moment to assess new global climate plans. Brazil, the host of the event, wants to strengthen its role as a leader of the Global South, promoting a greater commitment to protecting the Amazon forest and reducing emissions. For the EU, the stakes are twofold: on the one hand, to demonstrate that it remains committed to the path to climate neutrality by 2050, and on the other hand, to convince member states that the green transition can be reconciled with economic competitiveness and energy security.

• How China and the US are doing

Beijing has met the UN deadline and submitted updated targets for the post-2030 period. China promises to peak emissions "before 2030” and be climate neutral by 2060. While its commitments remain criticized as insufficient, Beijing is investing heavily in solar, wind and battery production, which is strengthening its status as an industrial leader in the green transition.

The Trump administration has scaled back climate commitments and blocked several federal initiatives to reduce emissions, which has weakened Washington's position on the international stage. While some US states - such as California - continue to adopt ambitious policies, the lack of a federal consensus means that the US is perceived as an unpredictable actor in global climate policy.