Europe’s 2040 climate pathway : a path to climate neutrality by 2050.
Date: 2024-02-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communication
Subjects: EU environmental policy, carbon neutrality, clean technology, climate change policy, fossil fuel, green economy, policymaking, renewable energy, sustainable development

Europe’s 2040 climate pathway 
A path to climate neutrality by 2050

As a global leader in climate action, the EU has committed to climate neutrality by 2050. 
On the path to net-zero emissions, we must now build momentum for a sustainable and 
competitive economy and a healthier and safer future for Europeans.  

The EU needs to stay the course set by the EU Climate Law and the Paris Agreement, and build 
an economy resilient to climate hazards, free of fossil fuels and other critical dependencies, with a  
competitive clean tech industry, and a transition that is fair for all.

The Commission is recommending that the EU sets a 
90% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction 
target for 2040, as compared to 1990 levels, in 
line with scientific advice. This recommendation 
is the start of a political debate and an open 
dialogue with all stakeholders in the process. The 
political and legislative decision on the 2040 target 
will need to be taken by the next Commission, after 
this year’s European elections. 

-31%

AGREED
TARGET

RECOMMENDED
TARGET

AGREED
TARGET

Greenhouse
gas
emissions

-55%

1990

2020

2030

-90%
2040

Net zero
emissions
2050

Reaching the 90% target will require a number of enabling policy conditions, including the full implementation of the 
agreed 2030 framework, ensuring the competitiveness of the European industry, a greater focus on a just transition 
that leaves no one behind, a level playing field with international partners, and a strategic dialogue on the post-2030 
framework, including with industry and the agricultural sector. 

Building blocks for achieving  
the 2040 climate target: 

Risk management
and resilience

A competitive  
industrial revolution 
based on resource  
efficiency,  
decarbonisation and 
clean technologies

Infrastructure 
to deliver and to 
transport and store 
hydrogen and CO2 

A resilient and 
decarbonised 
energy system for 
our buildings,  
transport and 
industry

2040
CLIMATE
TARGET

Effective 
agricultural 
policies based on 
strategic  
dialogue

Climate policy as an 
investment policy

EU climate 
diplomacy and 
partnerships to 
encourage global 
decarbonisation 

Fairness, solidarity 
and social policies 
at the core of the 
transition

How could the EU reach a 90% emissions reduction target by 2040 ? 

The existing policy framework has put Europe on track to reduce its emissions by at least 55% by 2030. It will be the 
responsibility of the next Commission to set out the post-2030 policy framework to continue further on this path and meet 
the agreed 2040 climate target. While staying committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels, it will also be necessary to 
invest in clean technologies to accelerate the deployment of renewables and remove carbon from the atmosphere to store 
and use in industrial processes.  

What are the benefits of a 90% emissions reduction by 2040? 

•  Investing effectively in the transition: the cost of inaction would be far larger for our economy in the coming 

decades than moving forward with the green transition. Europe needs to mobilise the right mix of private and public 
funding to make our economy sustainable and competitive. 

•  A fair transition and security for current and future generations: the transition is about securing the prospe-
rity and well-being of EU citizens, ensuring a fair transition for all. Taking action now will ensure that our children and 
grandchildren will not have to pay the cost of our inaction in the future

•  Predictability and certainty: citizens, industries, governments and investors will know the path to take and can 

decide the appropriate steps for an orderly, cost-efficient and just transition, minimising the risks of lock-in and stranded 
assets

•  Strengthening competitiveness: European industry will have a headstart in the global clean tech race with the right 

enabling framework for industry decarbonisation and support in the transition

•  Strategic autonomy and security of energy supply: with a clear transition path away from fossil fuels, via 

renewables and improved energy efficiency, the EU will be more economically and geopolitically secure

•  Respecting the Paris Agreement and protecting the environment: the future EU greenhouse gas budget would 
be in line with the EU Climate Law, scientific advice and impact assessment. Cutting GHG emissions will also improve 
biodiversity and make ecosystems healthier

•  Saving lives: doing nothing to stop climate change would worsen living conditions and have an impact on our health, 

causing more premature deaths due to air pollution and extreme weather events

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PDF ISBN 978-92-68-12198-6 doi:10.2775/697894  NA-02-24-147-EN-N