Council gives final green light to the European Climate Law

the Council formally adopted the amended European Climate Law, on 05/03/2026, which introduces an interim climate target for 2040.

This aims to reduce net GHG emissions by 90% compared to 1990 levels, before targeting climate neutrality in 2050 across all sectors of the economy. For the record, the EU's GHG emissions were reduced by 37% in 2024, on a trajectory consistent with the target of -55% for 2030.

The final text incorporates the amendments made by Parliament (voted on 10/02/2026) and by the Council, notably concerning the cap on the use of international carbon credits, initially set at 3% by the Commission.

From 2036 onwards, Member States will be able to purchase international carbon credits issued by partner countries (which are themselves committed to credible decarbonisation trajectories) to offset their emissions up to a limit of 5%: this means that they will have to reduce their domestic emissions by 85%.

The adopted law defines other key elements that the Commission must take into account when drawing up its legislative proposals for the post-2030 period. These include:
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