By Atoyebi Nike
The Council of the European Union has approved its updated nationally determined contribution (NDC), reaffirming the bloc’s climate commitments ahead of the COP30 summit in Brazil. The new NDC, adopted on Wednesday and covering the period up to 2035, builds on previous updates from 2020 and 2023.
The bloc restated its legally binding goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and acknowledged the Council’s agreement on a 90% emissions reduction target for 2040, compared to 1990 levels. Based on that trajectory, the EU introduced an indicative emissions cut of 66.25% to 72.5% by 2035, marking a key milestone on its path to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Denmark’s Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Lars Aagaard, said the updated NDC sends “a strong signal” ahead of COP30, demonstrating the EU’s continued commitment to the Paris Agreement and its push for greater global climate ambition.
The updated NDC outlines the EU’s policy framework for achieving carbon neutrality, including progress on expanding renewable energy and improving energy efficiency. According to the document, renewable energy accounted for 44% of the EU’s electricity generation in 2023, rising to an estimated 47% in 2024.
It also highlights plans to make the energy sector largely free of fossil fuels well before 2050, while encouraging the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels worldwide and supporting the use of all available technologies to cut emissions in hard-to-abate industries.
As required by the Paris Agreement, the updated NDC includes detailed information for clarity and transparency and will be submitted to the UNFCCC, contributing to an updated synthesis report on global progress toward climate goals.
The EU, which submits a single NDC on behalf of all member states, has updated its commitments every five years. Its latest revision follows the Fit for 55 package and a ministerial statement in September confirming that a post-2030 NDC would be sent ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
