Environmentalists criticize flexibilities in the European Union's 2040 climate target.

Brussels, July 2 (EFE) - Environmental organizations criticized the flexibilities the European Commission introduced Wednesday to help the EU achieve its goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 90%. They also pointed out that they delay "real action" against climate change and damage the bloc's international credibility.

Several networks of environmental organizations expressed their opposition to the measure after learning of the legislative project with which the EU executive formalizes the 90% interim goal as part of efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, which they also consider insufficient.

Thus, most of the criticism focuses on so-called international carbon credits, which will allow the EU to claim as its own the emissions reductions achieved through projects in third countries (usually developing countries) after paying a fixed price per ton of CO2.

Although the Brussels proposal contemplates that this option will be used only from 2036 onwards, limited to 3% of emissions and subject to a series of conditions, the CAN Europe organization denounced that its introduction "risks harming climate action within the EU," while criticizing the club for wanting to "buy off" lower ambition and "put the burden on the Global South."

🔥 In the midst of a #HeatWave , the European Commission announces its climate target for 2040: → reduce emissions by 90%

✔️ Good step, although insufficient

⚠️ Relying on offsets and future takeovers → can reduce effectiveness https://t.co/6UaBT6LnPA

— WWF Spain 🐼 (@WWFespana) July 2, 2025

"Buying emissions credits from other countries could seriously damage the EU's credibility as a climate leader and is a dangerous precedent that could weaken global ambition," stressed Sven Harmeling, head of climate affairs for this network of green organizations.

Along the same lines, the European Environment Bureau (EEB) noted that these flexibilities, to which Brussels is opening the door in a proposal the institution has presented "after months of delays and political discussions," could result in "zero-sum games."

"The climate crisis doesn't wait, and it certainly doesn't care about accounting tricks. So-called flexibilities are just loopholes that delay real action," stressed Mathieu Mal, head of Agriculture and Climate at the organization.

Brussels agrees to introduce flexibilities to cut emissions by 90% by 2040

For its part, WWF noted that 90% of the targets fall short of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and emphasized that the use of international emissions credits "ignores the scientific evidence" collected, for example, by the EU climate experts group, and that most of the time "they are not worth what is written on paper."

"They're also a waste of taxpayers' money: if we want to improve our competitiveness, there's no point in spending billions of euros helping other countries decarbonize when we could be investing in the future of our European industry and its workers," emphasized WWF's Climate Manager, Michael Scauld-Clyet.