Seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas emissions across the EU economy declined 0.5 percent in the second quarter of 2026 to 833 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents, down from 837 million tonnes in the first quarter, while EU GDP expanded 0.8 percent, according to official figures released Friday by Eurostat. Eurostat's bulletin said electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply delivered the largest emissions reduction at minus 0.44 percentage points; households followed at minus 0.22 percentage points, alongside a 0.01 percentage-point dip in transportation and storage, more than offsetting increases of 0.14 percentage points in services-heavy other economic activities and 0.05 percentage points in manufacturing.
Eurostat said emissions increased in 8 EU countries, decreased in 18 countries, and remained unchanged in 1 country in the second quarter of 2026, compared with the first quarter. Estonia posted the steepest quarterly drop at 15.5 percent, followed by Latvia at 10.6 percent and Finland at 7.6 percent; Malta rose 4.8 percent, Ireland gained 1.0 percent, and Romania edged up 0.8 percent. Among the 18 nations cutting emissions, 16 recorded higher or stable GDP.
Compared with the second quarter of 2025, EU emissions rose 1.4 percent while GDP increased 1.5 percent. Under the European Climate Law, the bloc aims to achieve a net greenhouse gas reduction of at least 55 percent by 2030 and full climate neutrality by 2050.
At COP31 in Antalya on Friday, Carbon Pulse reported Germany pledged 2 million euros to a climate information fund as a UN-backed coalition unveiled artificial intelligence climate guidelines. Green Central Banking noted European Central Bank policymaker and NGFS Chair Olaf Sleijpen told summit delegates that cutting fossil-fuel dependence helps curb long-term inflation and that investing in climate resilience today costs far less than delayed adaptation later.
