Poland, backed by Czechia, blocks adoption of 2050 climate neutrality targets

Leaders of EU member states failed to reach an agreement in Brussels on Thursday on achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The wording of the resolution, which included references to the target for that year, was vetoed primarily by Poland, backed by the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The summit conclusions therefore ultimately only call on the European Commission and the Council to ensure the transition to a climate-neutral EU in line with the Paris Agreement, while safeguarding competitiveness, fairness and social balance. The resolution also stipulates that member states have the right to choose their energy mix. The reference to the target, and thus its setting for 2050, was removed. Most EU countries supported the wording, including Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland had decided to block the adoption of the target in order to protect the interests of Polish businesses and citizens. Poland's position was also shared by Czechia and Hungary. All three countries have traditionally been heavily dependent on fossil fuels and have energy-intensive economies made up largely of traditional industrial sectors. Poland stressed that it needs clear financial guarantees to ensure the transition to a low-carbon economy. According to Prime Minister Morawiecki, there is currently no specific financial instrument on the table that could support modernisation.

What comes next

Finland, which will now hold the rotating presidency of the Council and has set itself a target of achieving carbon neutrality as early as 2035, will lead further talks with representatives of member states this autumn on the issues raised at Thursday's summit. The states are expected to agree on the long-term climate target at the beginning of 2020.

The failure to adopt a longer-term strategy at Thursday's summit means that the EU will not attend the September climate meeting in New York with any more specific vision for achieving the Paris Agreement targets. This naturally does not send a good signal to the other signatories to the climate convention.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also mentioned this in an open letter sent to Donald Tusk last month. In it, he urged the President of the European Council that the EU should continue to demonstrate to the world that it is a leader in climate policy.