EU-doel 2040: ruimte voor CO₂-certificaten

De Council of the European Union heeft zijn formele goedkeuring gegeven aan een wijziging van de milieuwetgeving van de EU, waarmee een wettelijk bindende toezegging wordt vastgesteld om de netto-uitstoot van broeikasgassen tegen 2040 met 90% te verminderen ten opzichte van het niveau van 1990. De stap voltooit het wetgevingsproces, nadat het Europees Parlement eerder dit jaar zijn standpunt had ingenomen.

Een Europese stad beweegt zich in de richting van schonere, milieuvriendelijkere ontwikkeling. AI-gegenereerde afbeelding.

The 2040 goal is designed as an intermediate milestone between the EU's existing 2030 targets and its overarching objective of achieving full environmental neutrality by 2050. It will anchor the bloc's environmental and energy policy beyond 2030 and guide forthcoming legislative proposals from the European Commission.

The amended law includes a range of flexibilities aimed at supporting member states and industry through the transition. From 2036, a capped volume of high-quality international carbon credits will be eligible to count towards the target. The legislation also provides for permanent carbon removals to address residual emissions in hard-to-abate sectors — those where eliminating emissions entirely remains technically or economically unfeasible.

The law also delays the launch of the EU's new emissions trading system (ETS2), which covers road transport, buildings, and other sectors, pushing the start date back one year from 2027 to 2028. The overall framework seeks to balance emissions ambition with economic competitiveness, energy security, and a socially equitable transition.

'Today's adoption of the landmark 2040 climate target will give industry, citizens and investors the reassurance they need for the clean transition in the decade ahead,' said Maria Panayiotou, Cyprus' environment minister.