A number of EU legislative acts are due to expire by 2030, so the authorities must update them for the next period — taking the climate target into account. This involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90 per cent by 2040. The European Commission was due to present a package of amendments as early as December 2026, but has decided to postpone this until at least the first quarter of 2027.
This was reported by Politico, citing comments from a diplomat and a European Commission representative.
The European Union’s executive body is currently working on a framework programme aimed at updating key energy and climate legislation
This package should contain the following modules:
- the target for the use of renewable energy sources by 2040;
- energy efficiency regulations;
- national emission reduction commitments;
- carbon capture targets;
- reform of the basic regulation governing the implementation of EU climate legislation.
The European Commission is postponing the presentation of these changes until at least January 2027. According to a source speaking to Politico, this decision came from the office of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
As of the time of publication, the spokesperson for the head of the organisation had not responded to a request for comment.
As a reminder, discussions are ongoing in the EU regarding changes to the EU ETS emissions trading scheme. The European Commission presented a package of updates in July, after which the European Parliament proposed a substantial revision of the changes. And recently, this issue became the subject of debate in the Council of Europe.
The key challenge is to strike a balance between climate commitments and maintaining business competitiveness. However, the EU has split into several camps, with each siding either with industry or with the environment.
