European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Thursday (9 May) that the EU should “concentrate on immediate and urgent” climate policies for 2030 rather than a proposed 2050 target defended by eight EU countries to reach net-zero emissions.

Speaking to reporters at the end of an informal summit in Romania, Juncker was asked whether the meeting between EU-27 leaders had relegated climate change down the political agenda.

The Luxembourger said he had “a lot of sympathy” for young people that have joined climate marches in recent months. “For decades, I complained that young Europeans didn’t go out into the streets. I like that they have taken their fate into their own hands,” Juncker said.

But the EU executive chief said that although he “has carefully studied” a letter signed by eight countries supporting a net-zero emission target for 2050, an existing 2030 target remains the priority.

“Inserting into the landscape a new target for 2050, I agree with that, but I have to say that we have a first target to be met in 2030. Let’s concentrate on immediate and urgent actions,” Juncker told reporters.

“Let’s not try to escape from our responsibilities by fixing a target a long time after the active time we spend in politics.”

The current 2030 goal is a 40% emissions reduction benchmark, which the Commission’s own analysis has shown should be reached easily. Updated Commission figures, published last year after the adoption of new EU laws on renewables and energy efficiency, suggested that at least 45% will be achieved.

Cañete: EU ‘de facto’ upping carbon reduction pledge to -45% The EU’s top energy and climate official revealed on Wednesday (20 June) that the bloc is now set to increase its emissions reduction pledge from 40% by 2030 to 45%, after EU negotiators sealed agreements on three clean energy laws in the past fortnight.

Members of the European Parliament agreed in March that the 2030 goal should be increased to at least 55%, although the required unanimity of EU member states will be difficult to achieve in the Council of Ministers. Environmental campaigners like Greta Thunberg even suggested a target of 80% to align European goals with the latest science.

In November, the EU executive presented its draft 2050 climate plan, intended to make the EU economy compliant in the long run with the bloc’s Paris Agreement commitments. The most ambitious scenario would see reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by mid-century.

That net-zero pathway is currently explicitly supported by France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Portugal. Finland, Slovenia and Latvia are also understood to agree with that objective in principle.

Germany, Poland snub EU appeal for greater climate ambition The governments of France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg have launched an appeal to boost EU climate action ahead of a major summit on the future of Europe taking place in Romania next Thursday (9 May).

Germany, Italy and Poland were notable absentees from the climate non-paper.

But Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters at the summit that she supports more efforts on climate change, although Berlin is not ready to sign up to the net-zero pledge yet.

“I have said that I explicitly support that we tighten up our goals,” Merkel said, adding that she supports a proposal to dedicate 25% of the next EU budget to climate action.

However, she said it was doubtful that a pan-EU agreement will be reached anytime, suggesting instead that a “coalition of the willing” like the signatories to the non-paper could be the answer.

Time ticks away

United Nations members will meet in New York in September to share “concrete, realistic plans to enhance their nationally determined contributions” to emission reduction efforts.

Officials keen to preserve the bloc’s self-proclaimed climate leadership role hope that EU countries will be able to reach an agreement on either the 2030 increase or the 2050 plan by then, although time is running short.

In Sibiu, European Council President Donald Tusk announced there will be an extra summit on 28 May, immediately after the EU election results are released. A regular EU summit will take place a few weeks later, on 28-29 June.

Both gatherings are likely to be dominated by decisions on the EU’s top jobs and who should head the various EU institutions. And the political haggling that dominates such periods means the EU could turn up to the UN meeting in New York with no new commitments.

Spitzenkandidaten survives Sibiu, Tusk calls summit for 28 May Europe’s leaders on Thursday (9 May) agreed to attend an emergency summit immediately after the EU elections on 28 May, as European Council President Donald Tusk said he wanted to have the distribution of the bloc’s top jobs decided in June.

[Edited by Frédéric Simon]