The German government has reached an agreement on a unified position regarding the European Union’s climate target for 2040. A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Consumer Protection and Nuclear Safety, led by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), confirmed to the “Handelsblatt” that Germany will support the proposal put forward by the European Commission and the Danish Presidency, which aims for a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The ambitious new climate objective, suggesting a 90 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2040, was initially presented to EU member states by the European Commission earlier in July. The Ministry, under the leadership of Carsten Schneider (SPD), had actively championed the agreement on this target at an extraordinary meeting of the EU Environment Council scheduled for next Thursday.
Recent communications indicated ongoing support for the Danish Presidency’s initiative to finalize the EU climate target for 2040 at a special Environment Council meeting in Brussels on September 18, 2025. According to a spokesperson for the Ministry, the precise procedures for achieving this are now under the purview of the Council Presidency and the Council President. The informal European Council meeting on October 1st is recognized as an opportunity to facilitate political discussions regarding current climate policy. It remains clear that the final decision on the new climate objective will rest with the Environment Ministers Council and the European Parliament.
