Next, the newsletter of Europa Today which every Monday morning tells you what will happen in the European week to come
Top of the agenda
The climate law for 2040 – On Tuesday 4 November the 27 European ministers responsible for the Environment will meet in a crucial Council in which it will be necessary to decide whether and how to give the green light to the proposal to amend the European climate law, which introduces a new binding intermediate climate objective. It is what plans to achieve a reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions of 90 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2040 and which has created quite a bit of controversy in European capitals.
The proposal – In July 2025, the European Commission proposed an amendment to the EU climate law – the one that aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 – setting the new objective for 2040. To get there, the proposal includes elements of flexibility to be integrated into European legislation, including international carbon credits starting from 2036 and the possibility for Member States to compensate deficits in land use with greater emission reductions in the waste and transport sectors.
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Directions from leaders – At the last European Council on 23 October the 27 leaders supported the proposal, but conditional on some critical elements. As stated in the conclusions on competitiveness and transition, the Council underlined its skepticism about the real possibilities of natural carbon removal, called for reducing emissions “ambitiously and cost-effectively” – in particular through high-quality international credits – and highlighted the need for a review clause, taking into account scientific evidence and technological advances.
Ready to water down ambitions – The 27 ministers therefore now appear to be ready to reduce the ambitions of the Commission proposal in order to reach an agreement on the 2040 objective. According to the draft obtained by Politicalthe achievement of the target should be reconsidered every two years, with the possibility of further weakening it with future legislative changes. We then move in the direction of introducing measures to avoid penalizing highly polluting industries if other sectors fail to reach their CO2 reduction targets.
Externalize internal problems – If the document does not propose to change the 90 percent reduction target, one strategy that member states could adopt is to increase the contribution of international carbon offsets. This is the instrument that allows the EU to outsource the reduction of emissions to third countries through financial support (but counting them as targets achieved internally). If the Commission has proposed limiting its use to 3 percent starting from 2036, countries such as France and Poland have suggested bringing it to 5 or even 10 percent.
Other hot topics
Enlarged Union – The European Commission will present the 2025 Enlargement Package on Tuesday 4 November. This is a series of annual documents setting out the approach to the integration of potential new Member States. It concerns officially recognized candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine) and potential candidates (Kosovo).
Reformed Union – On the same day, in the margins of the 2025 Enlargement Package, the Commission will also present policy reviews and reforms to prepare the EU for enlargement. This will be a communication, a non-binding legal instrument that defines a strategic approach but has no binding legal force. The Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, has already anticipated that the proposal will focus on what can already be done within the framework of the Treaties.
Transport package – Also on Tuesday 4 November, the Executive Vice President of the Commission responsible for Cohesion and reforms, Raffaele Fitto, will present the new Transport Package, a series of proposals in the field of civil infrastructure which includes a Plan for a European high-speed rail network and a Plan for sustainable investments in transport.
COP30 opens – A European Union delegation will travel to Belém, Brazil, from Thursday 6 November to participate in the work of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), which will officially open on 10 November. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the Climate Change Conference on Friday 7 November.
Brussels between Latin America and the Caribbean – The summit between the European Union and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (Celac) opens on Sunday 9 November (until Monday 10). The 2025 EU-Celac summit will focus on strengthening the partnership on issues such as international security, climate change and the promotion of trade and investment.
From the European Parliament
The president in Italy – On Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 November the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, will be in Rome for a series of institutional visits. He will meet the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and will speak during the board meetings of the agricultural sector organizations Coldiretti and Confagricoltura. He will also speak at an event organized by Formiche and open the Sigma Summit.
Trip to Moldova – On Friday 7 November, President Metsola will travel to Chișinău, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, where the national institutions are being established after the elections of 28 September which confirmed the pro-EU direction of the candidate country for membership.
EU enlargement – Speaking of accession to the European Union, the Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, will preview the 2025 Enlargement package to the Committee on Foreign Affairs (Afet) just before the press conference to present the document.
Gender equality – Between Monday 3 November and Thursday 6 November, the parliamentary committees will organize several events for Gender Equality Week. On Wednesday 5 November, President Roberta Metsola will open the hearing on ‘Women’s leadership in politics’ in the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (Femm).
New European budget – On Wednesday 5 November, the deputies of the Budget Committee (Budget) will discuss the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 with the European Commissioner for the Budget, Piotr Serafin, the next long-term budget of the EU. The discussion will focus mainly on the interinstitutional agreement and the decision on own resources.
Rule of law in Hungary – The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (Libe) will take stock of the deteriorating situation of democracy in Hungary, seven years after Parliament’s request to Member States to determine, in accordance with the procedure under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), whether the country violates the founding values of the Union.
Welcome! – The European Parliament press service will organize an information session on Tuesday 4 November for new correspondents and all interested journalists on how to follow parliamentary activity, identify information and sources, and understand the legislative process.
