Brussels fiddles on climate target, while Europe burns

On Monday, a meeting of the chiefs of staff of the EU’s 27 commissioners ran well over time as multiple officials voiced hesitation about the timing and the proposal itself, according to two people familiar with the gathering.

One Commission official, granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door session, said around half the commissioners’ staff raised concerns about the 2040 target during Monday’s discussion.

The Commission has already made several concessions in its proposal — details of which were published by POLITICO — bowing to fear of a political backlash over new, ambitious climate targets. Most notably, the EU executive wants to let countries offshore a limited amount of their pollution cuts through investments in poorer countries.

The ructions in the Commission come after a dinner discussion during last week’s EU leaders’ summit, where French President Emmanuel Macron raised the prospect of delaying the proposal. 

On Wednesday, the commissioners themselves will meet to discuss the target before a final proposal is published later in the day.

“Apparently, we expect a heated discussion on the choice of timing for this law,” the official said.