EU climate action and COP31 preparations

European religious organizations, including the European Laúdato Si' Alliance, have called on the European Union to strengthen its climate commitments prior to the COP31 summit in Antalya, Turkey. These groups have proposed a binding roadmap to phase out fossil fuels—specifically coal by 2030, gas by 2035, and oil by 2040—and suggested increasing the EU budget for environmental spending from 35% to 50%.

In response to the upcoming summit, the European Union is preparing a mitigation package intended to transform existing commitments into concrete emission reductions. This initiative includes a proposal to extend the current mitigation work programme until 2040.

However, internal EU negotiations have emerged regarding the Emissions Trading System (ETS). While some nations, including Poland and Italy, are seeking to delay the implementation of ETS2—which would extend emission costs to road transport and building heating in 2028—other member states, led by Sweden and Denmark, oppose these delays to maintain regulatory stability.