What is the EU's plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2050?

The EU's European Green Deal, introduced in 2019, aimed to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050 through a robust set of pricing, regulatory and funding measures.

How has the EU's climate ambition changed since 2025?

The EU has significantly weakened its 2040 greenhouse gas reduction plans, embedding review clauses to allow for backsliding during economic downturns. Key regulations like the expansion of the emissions trading scheme and the implementation of the deforestation regulation have also been delayed.

What is the impact of Europe's climate policy backtracking on its global standing?

Europe's backtracking on climate action has made China appear more virtuous in comparison, and has strained the EU's relationship with the global south, reducing its combined clout to press China to meet its responsibilities.

Home / Environment / Europe's Climate Ambition Fades as Competitiveness Concerns Rise

Europe's Climate Ambition Fades as Competitiveness Concerns Rise

14 Nov

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Summary

Europe's climate leadership at risk as policies are watered down
Nationalist and far-right groups gain traction, criticizing Green Deal
EU weakens 2040 emissions reduction plans, delays key regulations

Europe's Climate Ambition Fades as Competitiveness Concerns Rise

In 2025, Europe's climate leadership is at risk of unraveling. A decade ago, the landmark Paris climate agreement relied on cooperation between the US and China, with Europe acting in concert with a broad coalition of global south countries to elevate its ambition. This paved the way for the European Green Deal in 2019, which enshrined the EU's goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

However, the dominant narrative around the Green Deal has shifted in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Nationalist and far-right groups have gained traction, turning the deal into a "bogeyman" and claiming it would cause Europe's deindustrialization. Alongside fossil fuel and agricultural lobbies, these forces have repeatedly attacked the Green Deal, amplified by pressure from the Trump administration and gas exporters like Qatar.