Today, the Commission has published its State of the Energy Union Report 2025 and the accompanying Climate Action Progress Report 2025. While both confirm that the EU is well on track to meet its 2030 climate target, with a 2.5% decrease of GHG emissions in 2024 compared to 2023, they recognise that reaching the 2030 EU energy targets will require a much faster uptake of renewables and energy efficiency improvements in the coming years.
An updated NDC setting the course for 2040 and beyond
Yesterday, the EU submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which will be submitted to the UNFCCC ahead of COP30. Covering the period up to 2035, this update reaffirms the EU’s 2030 target of a 55% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and acknowledges the political agreement within the Council on a 90% reduction by 2040, compared to 1990 levels.
The NDC introduces an indicative milestone for 2035, setting a reduction range between 66.25% and 72.5%, marking a clear trajectory towards climate neutrality by 2050. It builds on the EU’s existing commitments and policy frameworks, aiming to accelerate the transition to a decarbonised economy and industrial base.
EU endorses CHAMP: strengthening multilevel action for climate goals
The same day, the EU joined CHAMP, the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships, launched at COP28, underscoring the importance of coordinated climate action across all levels of governance and backing cities and regions as key partners for boosting climate action and resilience.
CHAMP brings together national and subnational governments to strengthen cooperation in designing and implementing national climate plans, including the NDCs.
The initiative highlights that effective multilevel governance can unlock the emission reduction potential of cities and regions, help bridge the global emissions gap, and support the full implementation of NDCs. For the EU, this endorsement reinforces its longstanding commitment to work closely with local and regional authorities — through initiatives such as the EU Covenant of Mayors, the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, and the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change — to translate ambition into concrete results on the ground.
EU Covenant Board Members call for well structured multilevel governance and inclusive energy and climate policies
Covenant signatories – from big and small-size cities alike - are demonstrating that targets are needed as much as implementation and more so in an integrated way. Each and every local and regional leader has a role and responsibilities in achieving the goals and advancing implementation and for this they need coordinated multi-level governance mechanisms. Many wish to step up, scale up and accelerate and others to follow, but all need effective enabling instruments and adequate resources.
The EU Covenant Board of Mayors and regional leaders recently called upon relevant EU Commissioners:
- for structured, meaningful, transparent and accountable multilevel governance mechanisms in climate and energy policies,
- that inclusively addresses large, medium- and small-size cities and towns,
- with competitiveness being about every territory, its enterprises and citizens,
- building upon the EU Covenant of Mayors, its CoM-munity of thousands of cities and towns across the EU and their integrated plans for climate and energy action.
Details
- Publication date
- 6 November 2025