Portugal records second-largest EU emissions rise in 2025 as EU total falls 1.6%

EU emissions fall overall

The European Commission published its interim climate action report for 2026 and a carbon market report on Monday, 9 November 2026. They show that net greenhouse gas emissions across the European Union fell 1.6% in 2025 compared with 2024, based on provisional data. Emissions covered by the EU Emissions Trading System dropped by about 2%, while emissions under the Effort Sharing Regulation stayed broadly stable. Since 1990, EU emissions have fallen 39% while the economy grew 74% over the same period. The European Environment Agency published a separate trends and projections report the same day, reaching broadly similar conclusions.

Portugal and the member state ranking

Emissions fell in 19 member states in 2025 and rose in eight. Portugal recorded the second-largest increase at 4.2%, behind Italy at 5.8%, with Spain next at 2.2%. The Commission attributes the Portuguese rise to the forest sector, while Expresso links it to forest fires.

Italy5.8%

Portugal4.2%

Spain2.2%

Italy

5.8 %

Portugal

4.2 %

Spain

2.2 %

Data from the article text

Countries asked for corrective measures

The Commission says nine member states are far from meeting their 2030 environmental targets and has asked them to submit corrective measures. The list comprises Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta and Sweden. Germany, the bloc's largest economy, and Italy, its third largest, are both on the list. The measures are meant to speed up the application of emission reduction policies and the investment needed to deliver them.

Effort sharing and the 2030 outlook

Projections for the sectors under the Effort Sharing Regulation, which include national transport, buildings, agriculture and waste, point to a fall of about 38.5% by 2030 compared with 2005. That is slightly below the EU-wide target of 40%. Before member states use the regulation's flexibilities, Germany, Ireland and Malta show the largest projected gaps to their 2030 targets. Bulgaria, Greece and Portugal show the largest surpluses. The European Environment Agency says EU and national mitigation plans remain on course for the 55% net reduction target by 2030, but warns that cuts in those sectors over the next five years must match the cuts achieved in the previous two decades. The Commission argues that the slowdown in 2025 makes faster reductions necessary in the second half of the decade.

Wildfires and carbon market revenue

Burned area in Europe in 2025 exceeded 1 million hectares, largely due to fires on the Iberian Peninsula in August. Fire emissions also reached a record level, which Brussels links to vegetation growth after a rainy winter and early spring in some regions. On the carbon market, revenue from the EU Emissions Trading System rose to 43.2 billion euros in 2025, an increase of 11% on 2024. Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said in a statement that Europe is stepping up its efforts while the climate crisis is also accelerating, and that the next step is faster implementation of measures and investment in clean technologies.