This is how the EU states are weakening the 2040 climate target

This plan is not legally binding, but sets the direction of EU climate policy for the next five years. The program is similar to one informal statementwhich the EU presented at a climate summit in New York in September.

Ministers also adopted a legally binding target for reducing emissions in the EU by 85 percent by 2040. Five percent is to be achieved by outsourcing emissions cuts abroad through the purchase of international emissions certificates.

Additionally, governments would be allowed to use credits to offset an additional five percentage points of their national emissions reduction targets.

Ministers also agreed to a wide-ranging review clause that will allow the EU to adjust its 2040 target in the future if climate policies are found to be having a negative impact on the EU’s economy. The deal also includes a one-year delay in the implementation of the new EU carbon market for heating and vehicle emissions, due to start in 2027.

Hungary, Slovakia and Poland did not support the 2040 agreement, while Bulgaria and Belgium abstained. The rest of the EU27 countries supported it.

Lawmakers in the European Parliament must now decide on their own position on the matter Climate target 2040 agree and negotiate with the Council of the EU before the goal becomes law.

This article first appeared in English at POLITICO.