13 November 2025, Brussels – The EU Parliament Plenary voted today on the proposal to amend the European Climate Law by introducing the EU 2040 climate target. The vote upheld the text previously agreed at ENVI Committee, despite many EPP MEPs breaking ranks by voting against the report and tabling amendments to weaken the target and further delay the start of ETS2. Thanks to the rest of the EPP honouring the agreement for a 90% net 2040 climate target, the far-right attempt to scrap the target was once again averted.
However, while the worst has been avoided with the adoption of a 90% net reduction target by 2040, the compromise with the EPP came at a cost. Renew, S&D and the Greens were forced to accept a heavily watered-down text, less ambitious than the Commission proposal and extremely close to the Council position agreed last week. The Parliament’s text mirrors the Council’s flexibilities to achieve the net 90% target, including up to 5% use of international credits and review clauses that could still undermine the headline target. Nevertheless, compared to the Council position, the Parliament text makes a few improvements, notably by strengthening the quality criteria for international credits.
Sven Harmeling, Head of Climate at CAN Europe, said:
“Today’s vote marks an important milestone: the European Parliament has endorsed the amendment to the Climate Law setting a 2040 target of 90% net emission reductions, despite ideologically driven resistance from the far right and parts of the conservatives. Yet the compromises reached by Member States and within Parliament have further weakened the Commission’s original proposal, which was already insufficient. Still, with strong support for a rapid expansion of renewable energy and the phase-out of fossil fuels, and a socially just approach, there remains an opportunity to shape the necessary transformation quickly and successfully through broad consensus.”
The three institutions – Council, Parliament, and Commission – must now negotiate the final deal in trilogue.
