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European Union

Federative (27 nation states)

Political Groups

G20

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World Bank Income Group

High income

Share of Global Emissions

6.33%

Documents

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Directive (EU) 2024/1760 of the European Parliament and of the Council (the 'Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive' or 'CSDDD')

2024Legislative

Directive (EU) 2024/1760 of the European Parliament and of the Council, more coloquially referred to as the 'Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive' or 'CSDDD', amends Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and Regulation (EU) 2023/2859. The Directive aims to ensure that companies active within the internal market of the European Union contribute to sustainable developme...

Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 on the reduction of methane emissions in the energy sector ("The Methane Regulation")

2024Legislative

This regulation aims to reduce methane emissions associated with fossil fuel exploration, production, processing, and importation. The regulation introduce new rules regarding the monitoring, reporting and verification of methane emissions, as well as introducing a transparency mechanism regarding the methane emissions intensity of imports. The regulation imposes a direct ...

Critical Raw Materials Act

2024Legislative

This policy was created with the following objectives: To strengthen the different stages of the European CRM value chain; To diversify the EU's imports of CRMs to reduce strategic dependencies; To improve the EU capacity to monitor and mitigate current and future risks of disruptions to the supply of CRMs; To ensure the free movement of CRMs on the single market while ens...

Targets (56)

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Net zero -This Regulation sets out a binding objective of climate neutrality in the Union by 2050.Economy-wide: Economy Wide · Target year: 2050Source: Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality (European Climate Law)
net zero by 2050Economy-wide · Target year: 2050Source: The European Green Deal
Reduction of GHG emissions of at least 55 % compared to 1990 levels by 2030Economy-wide · Target year: 2030Source: Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality (European Climate Law)
Reduction of EU GHG emissions by at least 30% below 1990 levels by 2020Economy-wide: Economy Wide · Target year: 2020Source: 2020 Climate and Energy Package (contains Directive 2009/29/EC, Directive 2009/28/EC, Directive 2009/31/EC and Decision No. 406/2009/EC of the Parliament and the Council ; see below)
In 2020, the target is for the emissions from the ETS sectors to be 21% lower than in 2005Economy-wide: Economy Wide · Target year: 2020Source: 2020 Climate and Energy Package (contains Directive 2009/29/EC, Directive 2009/28/EC, Directive 2009/31/EC and Decision No. 406/2009/EC of the Parliament and the Council ; see below)

Legislative Process

The legislative process at the European Union (EU) level involves the European Commission (independent from national governments), the European Parliament (elected by EU citizens), and the Council of the European Union, which represents Member States. Most often, the Commission proposes new legislation, but it is the Council and Parliament together that pass the laws.

The main forms of EU legislation are directives, regulations and decisions. Directives and regulations can be adopted by the Council in conjunction with the European Parliament or by the Commission alone. A regulation is a general measure that is binding in all its parts, directly applicable in the Member States and addressed to everyone. A directive, on the other hand, is addressed to the member states. It is binding as to the result to be achieved, but leaves member states to choose the form and method they adopt to achieve it. The Commission is required to verify that member states transpose correctly and in due time the directives that have been adopted and can sanction them if they fail to do so. Decisions are EU laws relating to specific cases. They can be adopted by the Council (sometimes jointly with the European Parliament) or by the Commission.

The Commission can also publish Action Plans, White Papers, Green Papers, Commission regulations and Communications. An Action Plan serves to detail actions needed to reach the goals set in individual directives. A White Paper sets out the Commission’s policy programme in a specific area. Before a White Paper is written, a Green Paper is published, which is a consultative document including suggestions and options for new policy. Each single proposal for legislation announced in a White Paper or deriving from a policy initiative announced in it is subject to one or more rounds of open consultation and an impact assessment. White Papers, Green Papers and Communications can serve to identify future legislative proposals. Commission regulations primarily serve as administrative acts on the functioning of the EU Institutions. The Treaty of Lisbon (2009) created a new category of legislation, Delegated Acts, by which, under strict conditions, the legislator can delegate to the Commission the power to adopt acts amending non-essential elements of a legislative act, in particular to specify certain technical details.