Leaders Urge 2040 Climate Target

Local leaders urge European Commission to set a binding 90% domestic emissions-cut target for 2040

Mayors of Aalborg (Denmark), Athens (Greece), Barcelona (Spain), Braga (Portugal), Copenhagen (Denmark), Freiburg (Germany), Ghent (Belgium), Matosinhos (Portugal), Milan (Italy), Malmö (Sweden), Matosinhos (Portugal), Nantes (France), Oslo (Norway), Tallinn (Estonia), Utrecht (The Netherlands) and Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) among signatories of joint letter to Von der Leyen and Ribera, coordinated by C40, CEMR, Eurocities and ICLEI Europe

Today, European local leaders have sent a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging the European Commission and Member States to set a binding EU target to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90% by 2040 relative to 1990 numbers. The demand aligns with recommendations from the European Commission Impact Assessment on the 2040 target and the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC), which highlight how this target is feasible for Europe.

Coordinated by Europe’s largest networks of local and regional governments –C40, CEMR, Eurocities and ICLEI Europe- the letter reiterates that “climate neutrality is a strategic imperative”, and calls on the European Union to “reaffirm its global climate leadership” ahead of the crucial COP30 climate summit. The signatories stress the need for a “robust, science-based 2040 climate target”.

To achieve the 2050 climate neutrality goal, cities and regions call for a “clear and ambitious framework at the EU level” that will provide “long-term certainty to businesses, unlock investment, and accelerate innovation”.

Highlighting their own efforts, cities and regions state they are already “delivering results faster than anticipated and aligned with the Paris Agreement” but emphasise that they “cannot do this alone”. The letter urges that “national and EU frameworks must reflect the urgency and scale of the challenge and enable faster and deeper action from the local level”.

The signatories also call for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework to embed decarbonisation efforts, ensuring “that all regions and communities can access the resources, skills and infrastructure they need to succeed in the green transition”.

Finally, the letter underscores the importance of solid “multilevel governance structures and partnerships” to deliver an “ambitious and effective climate agenda”. This, they argue, is essential to “strengthen the EU’s credibility and influence on the global stage” at a “critical moment for international climate diplomacy”.

Signatories of the letter promoted by C40, CEMR, Eurocities and ICLEI Europe, as well as the following leaders from local and regional governments:

Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona and Eurocities Vice President
Matthias De Clercq, Mayor of Ghent and Eurocities President
Sharon Dijksma, Mayor of Utrecht
Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens
Maider Etxebarria, Mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz and Vice-President of ICLEI Europe
Lasse Frimand Jensen, Mayor of Aalborg and Vice-President of ICLEI Europe
Gunn Marit Helgesen, Councillor of Telemark County, President of KS, Association for all Local and Regional Authorities in Norway, CEMR President
Martin Horn, Mayor of Freiburg, in his capacity as the President of ICLEI Europe
Jevgeni Ossinovski, Mayor of Tallinn
Ricardo Rio, Mayor of Braga
Johanna Rolland, Mayor of Nantes, and President of Nantes Métropole
Luísa Salgueiro, Mayor of Matosinhos, President of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (CEMR member) and member of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy – Europe Political Board
Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan and Vice Chair of C40 Cities
Eirik Lae Solberg, Governing Mayor of Oslo and Vice Chair of C40 Cities
Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmö and President of ICLEI
Lars Henrik Weiss, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen