EU asks Italy and eight other states for corrective plans to meet 2030 emission targets

A warning to nine member states

The European Commission's annual report on climate action, published on 9 November 2026, asks Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta and Sweden to present corrective action plans. The Commission says these countries are not making sufficient progress toward their 2030 obligations in sectors outside the EU emissions trading system, namely road transport, buildings, agriculture and waste. Emissions in those sectors are estimated to fall 38.5% by 2030, short of the 40% EU-wide objective. Letters formally requesting corrective measures will go to Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta and Sweden in the coming days. The nine capitals will then have three months to say how and when they intend to close the gap.

Emissions in 2025

According to preliminary figures, net greenhouse gas emissions in the EU in 2025 were 39% below 1990 levels and 1.6% lower than in 2024. The drop was driven mainly by sectors covered by the Emissions Trading System, including energy-intensive industries and commercial flights, where emissions fell about 2% from 2024. Nineteen member states recorded a decline, while eight saw net emissions rise. The steepest increases were in Italy (+5.8%), Portugal (+4.2%) and Spain (+2.2%), followed by smaller rises in Romania, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. The EU aims to cut emissions 55% by 2030 and 90% by 2040.

Italy5.8%

Portugal4.2%

Spain2.2%

Italy

5.8 %

Portugal

4.2 %

Spain

2.2 %

Data from the article text

Italy's record and energy mix

Italy recorded the largest increase of any EU member state, and the report attributes much of the rise to land use, changes in land use and forestry. Deforestation, fires and intensive soil cultivation are cited as sources of CO2 and other gases that drive climate change. The report also criticises Italy's energy mix as unsustainable for the environment, households and businesses. It states that gas set the electricity price in 89% of hours in Italy, compared with 15% in Spain, and calls for a shift toward renewables. Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni is named in coverage of the report as the head of the government facing the criticism.

Emissions trading revenue and reporting failures

Revenue from the Emissions Trading System rose 11% to 43.2 billion euros, and more than half of it goes directly to member states to fund decarbonisation in energy-intensive industries, from renewables to clean transport. Italy and Cyprus together collected 2.7 billion euros from these revenues in 2025. They are the only two EU countries that did not submit on time their reporting on how they reinvested that money. The report also records that Italy, Croatia and Cyprus already exceeded their allowances in the first compliance period from 2021 to 2025, while eight countries are projected to exceed them in the 2026 to 2030 period. Environmental groups accuse the EU of loosening climate rules for companies several times over the past two years.

COP31 opens in Antalya

The COP31 climate conference opened in Antalya, Turkey, on the same day, with negotiations scheduled to run until 20 November under the joint leadership of Turkey and Australia. Turkey's environment minister Murat Kurum holds the conference presidency, while Australia's climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen will lead the negotiations. Close to 200 countries are expected, and more than 70 heads of state and government have confirmed attendance at special high-level sessions on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 November. Italy will not be represented by Meloni, and environment and energy security minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin is expected instead. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged leaders to rise to the occasion, saying the world has entered a new era of climate extremes.