EU countries delay deal on new climate goal, diplomats say

By Kate Abnett

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union countries have shelved plans to approve a new climate change target next week, after pushback from governments including France and Germany over plans to quickly land a deal, three EU diplomats told Reuters on Friday.

Countries are discussing a legally-binding target to cut net EU greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, from 1990 levels - with a share of this covered by buying foreign carbon credits.

The European Commission has said this would offer investors certainty and keep Europe on track for net zero emissions by 2050. Climate change has made Europe the world's fastest-warming continent, unleashing deadly heatwaves and record-breaking wildfires.

But EU governments are divided over how ambitious to be in tackling global warming, as governments also try to increase defence spending and support struggling industries.

EU ministers had planned to approve the 2040 climate change target on September 18. However, EU countries' ambassadors cancelled that plan in a meeting on Friday, three EU diplomats said.

Ministers will discuss the 2040 goal next week, but the talks will then be escalated to EU government leaders, before any deal is agreed, they said.

The diplomats requested anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting.

Failure to strike a deal next week could mean the EU misses a mid-September deadline for all countries to submit new climate plans to the U.N., to prepare for the COP30 climate summit in November.

Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands are among the countries backing the 90% emissions-cutting target, diplomats said.

Countries including France, Poland and Italy have pushed back on the proposed goal, and demanded it be escalated to heads of government - who next meet in October.

That could make it harder to clinch a deal. Unlike ministers, EU leaders take decisions unanimously.

To attempt to win over sceptical countries, diplomats are discussing options including covering a bigger share of the target with carbon credits, or linking a deal on the climate target to changes in other EU laws - such as the bloc's carbon border levy, or its 2035 combustion engine car phase-out.

Germany backs the 90% emissions-cutting target, but supports having talks among government leaders before a deal is done, a spokesperson for the environment ministry said.

(Reporting by Kate Abnett; additional reporting by Holger Hansen in Berlin)