After more than 16 hours of negotiations, environment ministers from the European Union’s 27 member states agreed their joint positions on five laws, part of a broader package of measures to slash planet-warming emissions this decade.
The ministers’ agreements will form their position in upcoming negotiations with the EU Parliament on the final laws.Italy, Slovakia and other states had wanted the phase-out delayed to 2040. The climate proposals aim to ensure the 27-country EU – the world’s third-biggest greenhouse gas emitter – reaches its 2030 target of reducing net emissions by 55% from 1990 levels.
After fraught negotiations, they agreed to form a 59-billion-euro EU fund to shield low-income citizens from the policy’s costs over 2027-2032.