EU proposes 90 percent reduction in emissions by 2040 – reactions from Germany
Policymakers
Carsten Schneider, German environment minister (SPD) :
“The EU Commission sends a strong signal to the world and to Germany with this proposal. It is further proof for the international community that Europe remains a trailblazer for international climate action. This can motivate China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and others to move along. This is important at this sensitive time in which the US is taking a backseat and the rest of the global community is being challenged to present new and better climate plans in the years up to 2035. This step can help keep the rest of the world together. For Germany, this proposal means that Europe moves ahead together at a comparable pace. This close connection between German and European targets makes climate action more efficient and more effective.”
Michael Kretschmer, state premier of Saxony (CDU):
Reducing the EU’s CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2040 “misses the reality of our industry. Climate action must be ambitious, but it must also be feasible and affordable. Otherwise we lose jobs, value creation, and ultimately also peoples’ acceptance. We need innovation, technology openness, and a fair balance between climate action and competitiveness. Europe must not make the transformation a burden but invest in our industry in a smart way.”
Civil Society
Émeline Spire, director Europe at Agora Energiewende:
“The proposed 2040 target (...) sends a strong signal of the EU’s continued climate commitment, also to the international community in the run-up to COP30. This commitment is crucial to ensure investment certainty for households and industry, emphasising that climate action is central to safeguarding competitiveness and resilience in Europe and beyond. We note the inclusion of international credits against scientific advice. In the past, cheap offsets with little to no climate benefits have plagued EU climate policy. Avoiding this in the future is possible, but requires strict limits, strong safeguards and political resolve. To this end, a hard limit is crucial to signal a clear commitment to investors – including those who have already invested. The proposed three percent should be a maximum share allowed."
Jakob Graichen, researcher at the Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut):
“The EU Commission’s proposal for the 2040 climate target is an important step but puts too much emphasis on flexibility in decisive areas. Measures such as international emissions credits or CO2 extraction must not lead to emission reductions being scaled back. In order for the climate target to remain credible, there need to be clear limits and a consistent orientation towards true reduction.”
Kai Niebert, head of environmental umbrella organisation DNR:
“A strong climate target is not an end in and of itself. It is the central framework for making European industry climate neutral, resilient, and independent from fossil autocracies. Stable investment conditions and reduced steering costs in the details can only be achieved by providing clear target paths… Without a target path there is no planning security, without planning security there is no transformation. The EU Commission has delivered. Now it’s on Berlin to lead in Europe – and to demonstrate that climate action must no longer be regarded as a moral duty but as a necessity from an industrial and security policy perspective.”
Charly Heberer, EU climate expert at Germanwatch:
“The initiative [to allow offsetting] largely came about due to the German government. Germany therefore has a special duty to ensure that the respective emission reduction projects outside of the EU lead to real emission savings and to additional climate action, as demanded by the Paris Agreement and by the coalition treaty. International allowance trading is a risk-prone business for climate action and for the credibility of EU climate policy.”
Cosima Cassel, expert climate diplomacy at E3G Berlin:
“The proposal… lays the foundation for creating an ambitious and scientifically-founded intermediate target for 2035 that is compatible with the 1.5°C target. In order to keep their credibility and dynamic, member states must formally agree to the new nationally determined contribution (NDC) in September to let it be integrated into the next UN stocktaking of global emission reductions, which will then be integral to debates at the [UN climate conference] COP 30.”
Linda Schneider, climate expert at the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation:
“It is the wrong decision to bet on buying international CO2 allowances for the 2040 climate target. Experience shows that these allowances often do not help reduce CO2 emissions – and that it is a zero sum game in the best-case scenario. Faced with the looming climate catastrophe, this is something we cannot afford, as we must reduce emissions drastically.”
Industry
Kerstin Andreae, head of the Federation of German Water and Energy Industries (BDEW):
“It is logical for the Commission to stick to the timetable for the EU’s 2040 climate target, as the investments necessary for decarbonisation depend on reliable framework conditions and early planning security. The 90-percent target, including the contribution of carbon sinks, is in line with the German target of 88 percent emission reductions by 2040… but a higher contribution from Germany must not be the result here. The proposed flexibility option to allow offsetting up to three percentage points of the reduction target with international allowances from non-EU-states by 2036 must be underpinned with strict criteria. International allowances must not become a gateway for low-quality projects or double counting. Greenwashing has to be curbed early on, because otherwise Europe’s efforts will become absurd.”
Holger Lösch, deputy head Federation of German Industries (BDI):
“The EU must allow more flexibility than it has so far to achieve its highly ambitious climate target. The target proposed by the Commission requires at least a tripling of annual reduction efforts compared to the past 33 years (1990-2023). Offsetting through highly qualified and credible international allowances in line with the Paris Climate Agreement must be possible for the EU target. Investments inside of the EU are also indispensable and have so far not been brought to the necessary scale due to insufficient framework conditions. Allowing offsetting… must not be delayed… and industry needs clarity before 2030 if this important vent is available after 2030. The target hinges on the successful introduction of CO2 extraction technologies. This now needs investment security and the fast ramp-up of cross-border CO2 infrastructure in Europe.”
Wolfgang Große Entrup, head of the German Chemical Industry Association(VCI):
“It’s high time the EU Commission became more pragmatic regarding climate action. A global problem requires global solution approaches. The possibility of using high quality international climate action measures for the EU climate target can save costs and make European companies more competitive again. Those who want to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness must not factor out emissions trading… Successful climate policy and climate neutrality in Europe can only be achieved through an industrial comeback or you have a Europe without industry. This will not help the global climate.”
