REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION First Biennial Transparency Report from the European Union to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (required under the Enhanced Transparency Framework)
Date: 2024-11-21
Institutions: Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy, EU strategy, Paris Agreement on Climate Change, adaptation to climate change, carbon neutrality, climate change, emission trading, greenhouse gas, pollution control measures, sustainable development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 21.11.2024  COM(2024) 552 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION First Biennial Transparency Report from the European Union to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (required under the Enhanced Transparency Framework) {SWD(2024) 273 final}  
 
 
1.   Introduction and executive summary 

Anthropogenic global warming continues at an accelerated pace and is impacting all the regions 
of the world, with Europe warming twice the rate of the global average1. To limit warming to 
the 1.5  °C Paris  Agreement  temperature target requires global greenhouse gas emissions to 
peak before 2025 at the latest and be reduced by 43% by 20302. Climate change has caused 
widespread adverse impacts. Europe is facing the risk of more intense and frequent heatwaves, 
prolonged droughts, more intensive precipitation, lower average wind speeds and less snow. 

The  European  Union  (EU)  and  its  Member  States  are  committed  to  ambitious  action  in 
response to the threats posed by climate change. All 27 EU Member States are committed to 
achieving a climate-neutral EU by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. They ratified the 
Paris Agreement in October 2016 with a joint and binding target of an economy-wide reduction 
of  greenhouse  gas  (GHG  emissions)  by  at  least  40%  by  2030,  compared  to  1990  levels. 
Following the guidance by the European Council, in December 2022 the EU submitted a new 
and  more  ambitious  climate  target  for  the  EU  and  its  27  Member  States  of  a  net  domestic 
reduction  of  at  least  55%  in  greenhouse  gas  emissions  by  2030  compared  to  1990, 
demonstrating greater ambition and commitment to delivering on the Paris Agreement. 

This report and its accompanying Staff Working Document (SWD) constitute the first Biennial 
Transparency Report of the European Union. The Commission has prepared this report based 
on the guidelines adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 
(UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement, and Article 29.5(a) of Regulation  (EU) 2018/1999 on the 
Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action3.The EU has opted to submit its 2024 
national greenhouse gas inventory as a stand-alone report. 

The latest inventory figures show that the EU’s GHG emissions have continued to fall, with a 
net reduction of 32.6% by 2022 compared to1990, demonstrating progress towards its targets. 
This report provides detailed information on the emissions and removals of greenhouse gases 
in 2022 and shows the EU’s progress in implementing and achieving its Nationally Determined 
Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. In Chapter 3 it presents the EU’s mitigation 
policies and measures, including the ‘Fit For 55’ package of legislation adopted in 2023 which 
strengthens policies and measures to allow the EU to meet the updated 2030 target and shows 
projections of greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Then in Chapter 4, it outlines the EU’s 
strategy for adapting to the impacts of climate change and building resilience. While in Chapter 
5 the report presents the support provided by EU institutions to developing countries. Finally 
in Chapter 6, there is information on how the EU is enhancing the consistency of finance flows 
with a pathway towards low GHG emissions and climate-resilient development. 

1.1  Emissions and removals of greenhouse gases 

Total GHG emissions in the EU have fallen in recent decades due to the decrease in the use of 
coal,  the  increasing  decarbonisation  of  the  EU  economy  through  the  rapid  expansion  of 
renewable  energy,  progress  on  energy  efficiency  and  ambitious  climate  change  mitigation 
policies. Between 1990 and 2022, net greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 32.6%. These 

1 Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), 2024: European State of the Climate 2023, Summary, p. 23: 
 https://doi.org/10.24381/bs9v-8c66  
2 IPCC, 2023: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working 
Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report  of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate  Change [Core 
Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 1-34, doi: 10.59327/IPCC/AR6-
9789291691647.001 
3 Regulation - 2018/1999 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu) 

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net  emissions  exclude  emissions  from  international  aviation  and  navigation  (‘international 
bunkers’)  and  include  emissions  and  removals  from  the  Land  Use,  Land-use  Change  and 
Forestry (LULUCF) sector, which comprises a net sink, but decreasing, for GHG emissions in 
the EU. 

Figure 1: GHG emissions/removals in the EU by sector, 1990 to 2022 

Source: Annual European Union GHG inventory 1990-2022 

In  2022,  the  energy  sector  accounted  for  77%  of  GHG  emissions  (excluding  LULUCF), 
followed by agriculture (11%), industrial processes and product use (9%) and the waste sector 
(3%). Carbon dioxide is the principal GHG, contributing 81% of emissions. Methane accounts 
for 12%, nitrous oxide for 5% and fluorinated gases for 2% of emissions. 

1.2  Progress towards the target of the EU nationally determined 

contribution (NDC) 

Under the Paris Agreement, the European Union and its Member States have committed to an 
ambitious target of reducing net GHG emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990. 
The European Climate Law46 sets the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and the intermediate 
target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 
levels. These targets cover emissions and removals that are regulated in Union law. 

The EU NDC is described in the EU submission of 17 October 2023 to the UNFCCC. The EU 
NDC is an economy-wide net reduction target which includes net removals from the LULUCF 
sector and emissions from international aviation and maritime transport activities regulated as 
set  out  for  2030  in  Annex  I  to  the  EU  ETS  Directive.  Therefore,  the  EU  NDC  includes 
emissions from international aviation and international maritime transport. This target is to be 
achieved domestically (i.e. within the EU), without the use of international credits. 

In  this  first  Biennial  Transparency  Report  (BTR),  the  EU  reports  on  its  progress  towards 
achieving its NDC target. As this NDC target includes specific emissions from international 

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aviation and international maritime transport, its scope is wider than that of the national GHG 
emissions inventory albeit narrower than that of the EU 2030 target under the Climate Law as 
regards  aviation  and  maritime  transport.  Considering  the  NDC’s  scope,  emissions  have 
decreased by 31.8% between 1990 and 2022. 

Figure 2: Emissions under the NDC scope in 1990 and 2022 

To achieve the target of an at least 55% reduction by 2030, further reductions in emissions are 
needed.  To  this  end,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  put  in  place  a  comprehensive 
framework of new and enhanced policies and measures, known as the “Fit for 55 package.” 
The  package  seeks  to  accelerate  emissions  reductions  in  the  sectors  covered  by  the  EU 
emissions trading system (EU ETS) and those covered by the Effort-sharing Regulation, and 
to increase carbon removals in the LULUCF sector. 

1.3 Mitigation policies and measures 

The European Union’s 2030 climate and energy framework is a set of policies to ensure that 
the EU and its Member States fulfil their climate change mitigation commitments under the 
Paris Agreement. This framework is governed by the European Climate Law, which includes 
the more ambitious 2030 climate target, provisions for developing a 2040 climate target, and 
the target of climate neutrality by 2050. 

The EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) is a cornerstone of the 2030 climate and energy 
framework. It puts a price on carbon by setting a cap on the maximum number of emissions 
allowances in the energy and industrial sectors, and for specific flights and voyages in aviation 
and maritime transport. GHG emissions from these sectors must be reduced by 62% by 2030 
compared to 2005 levels. Furthermore, emissions trading in the EU will be extended to cover 
emissions  from  fuel  combustion  in  buildings,  road  transport  and  additional  sectors  (mainly 
small industry not covered by the existing EU ETS) as from 2027 with the creation of a Social 
Climate  Fund,  financed  from  the  auction  of  emissions  allowances  to  support  the  most 
vulnerable households and micro-enterprises The cap will be set to bring emissions from those 
sectors down by 42% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. 

The Effort-sharing Regulation sets individual, binding reduction targets for EU Member States 
for  emissions  in  sectors  outside  the  EU  ETS  and  the  LULUCF  sector,  namely  domestic 
transport (except aviation), buildings, agriculture, waste and small industries. In these sectors, 

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GHG emissions must be reduced by 40% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, with targets for 
individual Member States of reductions ranging from 10% to 50%. 

The achievement of these targets is supported by several sector-specific policies and measures, 
including  the  Energy  Efficiency  Directive,  the  Renewable  Energy  Directive,  and  CO2 
emissions standards in road transport as well as supported through EU funding, including the 
Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility,  Cohesion  Funds,  Common  Agricultural  Policy, 
Modernisation Fund or Innovation Fund. 

In the LULUCF sector, the LULUCF Regulation introduced an EU-wide net carbon removal 
target of 310 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030. Each Member State has an individual 
binding target, ranging from -47 to +5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which taken together 
will achieve the EU’s collective target. 

In 2024, the Commission issued a Communication and detailed impact assessment on the EU’s 
2040  target,  recommending  a  90%  net  greenhouse  gas  reduction  relative  to  1990  levels  by 
2040. 

1.4 Projections of greenhouse gas emissions and removals 

The latest projections of GHG emissions and removals show that net emissions in 2030 could 
be 47% below 1990 levels, in a scenario that includes the ‘with additional measures’ and when 
emissions from international aviation and navigation are considered. They could be 51% below 
1990 levels if emissions from international aviation and navigation are excluded. Additional 
efforts, therefore, will be needed to achieve the -55% emission reduction target of the EU NDC. 

Figure 3: Historical and projected total net GHG emissions in the EU 

Sources:  Annual  European  Union  GHG  inventory  1990-2022,  EU  Member  States  GHG  emission 
projections submitted in 2023 and 2024 under the Governance Regulation 

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1.5 Preparedness for and resilience to climate change impacts  

Under  the  European  Climate  Law,  the  European  Union  and  Member  States  are  required  to 
ensure  continuous  progress  in  improving  adaptive  capacity,  strengthening  resilience  and 
reducing vulnerability to climate change in accordance with Article 7 of the Paris Agreement. 

As a result, the 2021 EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change contains a wide range of 
initiatives  and  actions  that  the  European  Commission  is  committed  to  carrying  out,  and  its 
implementation is in full swing 4. 

In  March  2024,  the  European  Environment  Agency  (EEA)  published  the  first  European 
Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA)5 assessing climate risks and identifying policy priorities 
for climate change adaptation and for climate-sensitive sectors. It identified 36 major climate 
risks for Europe within five clusters: ecosystems, food, health, infrastructure, and economy and 
finance.  More  than  half  of  these  climate  risks  demand  more  action  now,  and  eight  are 
particularly urgent. The same month, the Commission adopted a Communication on managing 
climate risks6 setting out actions to strengthen resilience and preparedness and to clarify who 
is responsible for acting. 

Finally, strengthening adaptation actions and preparedness remains a major priority for the EU, 
as reflected in the March 2024 Commission communication and in President von der Leyen’s 
Political Guidelines for the 2024-2029 European Commission7. 

1.6  Support to developing countries 

Climate finance contributions from the EU, its Member States, and the European Investment 
Bank (EIB) have increased over the past 9 years, from EUR 9.5 billion in 2013 to EUR 28.5 
billion in 2022. Contributions from the EU budget and the EIB amounted to EUR 6.5 billion 
in 2022. 

Of the climate finance provided by EU institutions to developing countries, 56% was allocated 
to  mitigation  purposes,  16%  to  adaptation  purposes,  and  29%  of  this  support  covered  both 
mitigation and adaptation. 

The  EU  supports  capacity  building  in  partner  countries  through  a  number  of  regulations, 
strategies, policies and programmes. 

The Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe 
(NDICI-Global Europe Regulation)8, which has a budget of approximately EUR 79 billion for 
2021-2027 and a spending target of 30% for climate, supports sustainable development and the 
fight against climate change among others in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific and the 
Americas and Caribbean countries. 

This  has  been  used  for  example  in  2024  the  EU  provided  capacity  building  to  dedicated 
countries with expert matching function to allow quick and tailored advice on issues that arise 

4  Report  on  the  Implementation  of  the  EU  Adaptation  Strategy  on  Adaptation  to  Climate  Change, 
https://climate.ec.europa.eu/document/download/72286a42-61af-4e8a-a51a-
29a58c90274e_en?filename=swd_2023_338_en.pdf  
5 European Climate Risk Assessment — European Environment Agency 
6 EUR-Lex - 52024DC0091 - EN - EUR-Lex 
7 Political Guidelines 2024-2029 | European Commission (europa.eu). 
8 Regulation (EU) 2021/establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument 

– Global Europe, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021R0947 

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in their BTRs, in addition to other support for capacity building to help developing countries 
in their GHG inventory and BTR reporting. 

The Global Gateway, the new European Strategy, boosts investment in smart, clean and secure 
links in  digital, energy and transport  and strengthen health, education and research systems 
across  the  world. It  draws  on  the new  financial  tools in  the  EU  multi-annual  financial 
framework 2021-2027. The European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD) which 
is  one  of  the  financial  tools  under  the  global  gateway  plays  a  key  role  for  sustainable 
development  in  the  EU  partner  countries  outside  Europe.  Several  EFSD  guarantees  scaled 
financing for renewable energy9. 

The EU stimulates technology transfer activities in many development cooperation projects. 
Similarly, the EU has integrated capacity-building activities into all its development assistance 
in  line  with  the  Paris  Declaration  on Aid  Effectiveness  and  the Accra Agenda  for Action. 
Furthermore, the EU Adaptation to Climate Change strategy paves the way for the EU to step 
up its international action for climate resilience. 

1.7 Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low GHG 

emissions and climate-resilient development 

In recent years the EU has made significant progress in improving the consistency of finance 
flows with the goals of the Paris Agreement at all levels. In line with Article 2(1)(c) of the Paris 
Agreement, the EU has integrated climate change into the heart of its economic, social and 
development practices through various domestic and international initiatives. 

These actions signal a proactive approach to meeting the EU’s climate targets and to contribute 
to the global effort to combat climate change. As part of this global effort, the EU has taken the 
lead  in  mobilising  climate  finance  domestically  and  internationally  from  a  wide  variety  of 
sources,  instruments  and  channels  (including  instruments  to  unlock  the  huge  potential  of 
private finance through the targeted use of public finance) and a variety of actions aligning 
financial flows with the aims of the Paris Agreement. 

Besides  providing  and  mobilising  support  to  developing  countries,  the  European  Union  is 
taking additional steps to  make finance flows  consistent with  a pathway  towards low GHG 
emissions  and  climate-resilient  development,  as  stipulated  in  Article  2(1)(c)  of  the  Paris 
Agreement. These  steps  include,  among  other  things,  the  mainstreaming  of  climate  change 
mitigation  and  adaptation  into  all  major  EU  spending  programmes,  the  use  of  the  ‘do  no 
significant harm’ principle, the implementation of the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities10 
and  a  comprehensive  set  of  ESG  disclosures  requirements  applicable  to  non-financial  and 
financial undertakings, and the alignment of EIB financing with the principles and goals of the 
Paris Agreement. 

9The  European  fund  for  sustainable  development  2020  operational  report,  The  European  fund  for  sustainable 
development, https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/6c93ad22-d299-11ed-a05c-01aa75ed71a1 

10 Regulation - 2020/852 - EN - taxonomy regulation - EUR-Lex (europa.eu) 

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