The 27 EU environment ministers continued to negotiate compromises on Tuesday early evening in search of an agreement on a 2040 climate target. The public session scheduled for the afternoon had yet to begin despite several hours of delays due to intensive negotiations. The Council of Ministers can adopt the climate target by qualified majority, with Austria's Environment Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP) making his approval conditional on "appropriate framework conditions".

The EU 2040 climate target under discussion foresees a 90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 compared to 1990. Totschnig described this as "very ambitious" upon his arrival in Brussels. When questioned by journalists about the framework conditions, Totschnig mentioned, among other things, an extension of the deadline for free certificates under the emissions trading scheme, flexibility in carbon management, and a "binding net-zero pathway for all member states". The issue is not just about the climate, he said, but also about economic competitiveness, preserving prosperity, securing jobs, and food security. "There is a need for improvement," Totschnig stressed. Climate neutrality must be achieved with framework conditions "that are sound," the minister added. In the public morning session of the Council of Ministers, Totschnig called for "a clear commitment in the text" regarding the extension of the deadline for free certificates.

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See Graz environmental economist Karl Steininger of the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change at the University of Graz in the ZIB2 interview.