3 July 2025 - The European Commission yesterday announced its highly anticipated climate target, pledging to achieve a 90% reduction of green. house gas emissions from 1990 levels.
This will form the basis for its national climate plan (or Nationally Determined Contribution NDCs) which the EU must submit to the UN this year, along with all other countries who signed the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change, approved by 196 countries in 2015.
All eyes are on the European Union to lead the charge for ambitious climate action, especially given the current geopolitics. WWF urges the EU to seize this moment and send a clear message that climate leadership means action at home and stronger commitments on the global stage. 
Shirley Matheson, WWF Global NDC Enhancement Lead cautioned that while the target set was 'good', there is a catch: “By sneaking in international offsets and leaning heavily on permanent carbon removals, the European Commission has built loopholes into the heart of the proposal, turning what should be a serious plan to cut emissions into a cleverly disguised escape clause.
“The EU has the credibility, influence, and responsibility to go first and go fast," she said. "Conscious climate action leads to economic development and energy security without relying on fossil fuels, and the EU is best placed to lead the pack on building confidence around this. The NDC 3.0 is the opportunity to prove it.” 
WWF expects the EU to set a 2035 target based on a straight-line trajectory between 2030 and 2040. This would amount to around 73% emissions reduction. However, taking responsibility and economic opportunity into account, WWF recommends front-loading the necessary climate activities in the first half of the decade, said Matheson.