EU set to recommend deep CO2 cuts for 2040 climate target

Tuesday's proposal will kick off the political debate on the target, but it will be up to a new EU Commission, formed after EU elections in June, to make a final legal proposal.

Farmers drive with their tractors on a freeway at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany last weekend. Picture: AP Photo/Michael Probst

The European Commission is poised to recommend on Tuesday the EU reduces its net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, a target that will test political appetite to continue Europe's ambitious fight against climate change ahead of EU elections.

Drafts of the Commission recommendation, seen by Reuters, show the EU will endorse the 90% target for net greenhouse gas cuts compared with 1990 levels.