Germany, Greece, Italy and Slovenia joined the expanding list of countries that support carbon neutrality by 2050, increasing the chances of a deal being reached at the upcoming EU summit this week. The EU leaders could give their blessing to the proposed long-term climate strategy at the time of the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday this week (June 20-21).

Eighteen of the 28 EU member states have already declared their readiness to support the carbon neutrality proposed by the European Commission by 2050.

This process of joining the strategy can continue to develop before Thursday, when the Commission’s proposal will be included in the agenda, focusing mainly on nominees for leadership in the bloc. However, the expectations of most people familiar with the issue are to refuse to adopt the strategy. A prepared statement on the EURACTIV summit says EU leaders will return to the issue of carbon neutrality by the end of 2019 with the intention of ending the “early 2020s” deal.

Following the news of Germany’s accession to the 2050 plan, it is much more likely that the proposal will still be approved. Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged in May that the country is ready to commit to the goal but still needs more work on the details. It is believed that the increase in mandates of the German Green Party in parliament will change Merkel’s sluggish behavior.

However, while Germany is joining the target, its position still maintains a wording that implies that an agreement will be reached by the end of 2019 or “at the latest in early 2020”.

Germany’s blessing means that Berlin joins the strong economies of France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, insisting on an accelerated reduction of carbon emissions to zero with a horizon by 2050.

Italy also rejected its objections to the so-called “Macron Plan”.

“It is of the utmost importance that the EU strives for environmentally friendly policies and the promotion and support of the circular economy and, by 2050 at the latest, to reaffirm its commitment to achieving the objective of climate neutrality”, says the not.

With two more EU member states of the so-called Heavyweight, Germany, and Italy, and a large majority of countries in support of the 2050 strategy, EU leaders seem well prepared to adopt the strategy later this week if everything is done as planned. Some countries, however, still have doubts about this plan. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe remain the most skeptical. They are particularly cautious about the explicit mention of a 2050 deadline and would rather prefer a vague formulation such as “the middle of the century”.

However, at least Hungary is close to joining the 2050 Plan. If Budapest abandons its firm stance on climate policy, the Czech Republic and Poland, allies of Hungary in the Visegrad Group, will present the main obstacles to a potential agreement with the EU.

Political observers say the Czech opposition may be mitigated by the ongoing riots in the country.

In Poland, the forthcoming elections at the end of the year and the public interest in improving air quality in the country, which is among the worst in Europe, could play a positive role in the strategy.

Warsaw may also be misled by promises of greater funding for coal-dependent regions and industries that will be part of the ongoing negotiations for the next long-term budget of the bloc.