France and other countries have pushed to have the topic, which is not officially on the summit agenda, added to it -- with talks likely to take place over dinner, according to several European diplomats.
The EU has set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and says it has already cut emissions by 37 percent compared to 1990.
Brussels now needs to agree on an interim target for 2040 -- expected to be unveiled on July 2 -- but it faces a tough balancing act.
The European Commission said last year it aimed to cut emissions by 90 percent compared to 1990 levels by that date, to tackle rising temperatures that are wreaking havoc at an alarming pace with wildfires and floods.
But political winds have since turned, pushing it to switch focus to boosting European industry confronted by fierce competition from the United States and China.
For some countries, including the Czech Republic and Italy, the 90 percent target is unrealistic, while France has warned that Brussels should refrain from setting targets without detailing how to meet them.
"We need to ensure that the conditions for preserving the competitiveness of industry and decarbonising industry are in place," said an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron.
"This means funding... protection for sectors facing unfair international competition, and the fight against carbon leakage," the adviser said, referring to the situation where climate rules in one region result in lower emissions there but a spike elsewhere, as companies seek out laxer jurisdictions.
The commission is considering greater flexibility in its calculations for 2040, including through the purchase of carbon credits on international markets.
But the move is opposed by green groups that say it would allow the EU to outsource part of its climate effort, and worry about a lowering of the bloc's mid-term goals.
"President Macron risks derailing Europe's climate ambition," said Sven Harmeling, head of climate at CAN Europe, an environmental organisation.
UN climate chief warns 'lot more to do' before COP30
Bonn (AFP) June 26, 2025 -
UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged countries on Thursday to accelerate negotiations ahead of the COP30 in Brazil as there was a lot left to be done.
Speaking after two weeks of technical talks in Bonn, Stiell closed the annual climate diplomacy event saying: "We need to go further, faster, and fairer."
Bonn is home to the UN Climate Change Secretariat, which coordinates international climate policy and hosts preparatory talks each year ahead of climate summits.
"I'm not going to sugar coat... we have a lot more to do before we meet again in Belem," he said.
COP30 is due to be held on November 10-21 in the Amazonian city which is the capital of Para state.
At last year's UN COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, rich nations agreed to increase climate finance to $300 billion a year by 2035, an amount decried as woefully inadequate.
Azerbaijan and Brazil, which is hosting this year's COP30 conference, have launched an initiative to reduce the shortfall, with the expectation of "significant" contributions from international lenders.
This year's COP comes as average global temperatures in the past two years have exceeded the 1.5 degrees Celsius benchmark set under the Paris climate accord a decade ago.
"There is so much more work to do to keep 1.5 alive, as science demands. We must find a way to get to the hard decisions sooner," Stiell said.
Under the Paris Agreement, wealthy developed countries -- those most responsible for global warming to date -- are obliged to pay climate finance to poorer nations.
Other countries, most notably China, make voluntary contributions.
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