Ongoing disagreements among member states regarding the EU’s 2040 climate target could leave the bloc unable to reach an agreement before the key UN meeting in November, diplomats said, AFP reported.

Denmark, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, announced that it is working toward achieving consensus “before the end of the year,” after diplomats from several countries called for the negotiations on the target to be postponed.

The European Commission announced plans to reduce emissions in the 27-member union by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels.

A key milestone toward the EU’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, this target requires approval from the European Parliament and the member states.

So far, such approval has not been achieved.

The Commission’s commitment to introducing some flexibility by allowing countries to count carbon credits purchased to finance projects outside Europe failed to convince hardline states such as Czechia and Hungary, which consider the target too ambitious.

Wopke Hoekstra, the European Commissioner for Climate Action, stated that there is a “significant possibility” that an agreement could be finalized at the meeting of EU environment ministers next week.

However, this prospect has faded after several countries, including France, Italy, Germany, and Poland, requested that the issue be discussed at the October leaders’ summit before a decision is made.

“Environment ministers will meet on September 18 to hold a political discussion on the climate law with the aim of stabilizing the text,” the Danish presidency of the EU Council stated.

The delay could jeopardize the Commission’s hopes of having the 2040 target approved before the UN climate conference (COP30) in the northern Brazilian city of Belém, which begins on November 10.

Nearly 200 countries under the Paris Agreement are required to submit updated policies with a stricter emissions reduction target for 2035 and a detailed plan to achieve it before COP30.

The EU’s 2040 plans are expected to inform the bloc’s 2035 submission, but some countries, including France, insist that the two should be treated separately — a position criticized by climate organizations, which fear that the EU risks abandoning its leading global role on climate issues. | BGNES