BRUSSELS — European Union leaders failed to reach an agreement Thursday on a proposal to reduce their net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.

Elections were held in the 28-member bloc in May, and leaders are in Brussels this week to set an agenda for the European Parliament’s next five-year term. The document will include broad guidelines on key issues facing the union, including migration, living standards and climate change.

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President Emmanuel Macron of France said before the discussions on Thursday that the “climate emergency” should be addressed by “rallying around the objective to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.”

By the end of the meeting, however, leaders were only able to agree on a compromise resolution to study ways to make the bloc “climate neutral” without mentioning a target date.