The statement as drafted by Denmark proposes a temporary emissions-cutting target of between 66.3 percent and 72.5 percent below 1990 levels by 2035. EU countries would have to agree on a definitive target at a later date.
While too late for the U.N. deadline, this approach gives Denmark another chance to secure support for the more ambitious target. To achieve that, they will have to find a landing ground among sharply divergent views held by governments.
The EU had intended to derive a 2035 goal of 72.5 percent from a new 2040 milestone that is currently being negotiated. That plan was derailed by disagreements over the 2040 legislation. On Friday, Denmark postponed a vote scheduled for this week after major countries blocked progress.
Some countries, such as Poland, have advocated for the EU to submit the range as the formal target, which would not be unusual: Brazil, the host of this year’s COP30 climate summit, has done so.
But for the EU, it would nevertheless represent a weaker goal, as it would see the EU effectively commit to a 66.3 percent target, while leaving open the possibility for further improvement.
For that reason, another group of countries is fiercely opposed to disconnecting the 2035 target from the 2040 goal.
Just when the EU will submit its finalized plan to the U.N. remains unclear. The Danish statement insists that the bloc will do so before COP30 starts in early November.
EU countries agreed last week to host a debate among national leaders, scheduled for Oct. 23, before agreeing on a 2040 target. That will leave just two weeks to then strike a deal on both goals ahead of the summit in Brazil.