European Commission demands corrective climate plans from nine member states

The European Commission has announced that Cyprus and eight other EU member states must submit corrective plans within three months to accelerate greenhouse gas emission reductions. According to the 2026 Climate Action Progress Report, these nations are failing to meet their legally binding obligations under the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR). Cyprus, Croatia, and Italy are projected to exceed their emission limits during the initial 2021–2025 compliance period. Furthermore, for the 2026–2030 period, Cyprus faces similar risks alongside Austria, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, and Sweden.

Although the European Union as a whole is expected to hold a surplus of approximately 140 million tonnes of emission allowances—sufficient to offset the deficits of these nine countries—the Commission reported that no inter-state allowance transfers have occurred. Consequently, Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra will formally contact the affected governments. The Commission is slated to provide its opinion on the submitted corrective plans within four months of receipt. While EU-wide emissions are projected to decrease by 38.5 percent by 2030, this remains slightly below the 40 percent target, necessitating more rigorous national implementation.