EU heads of government are meeting at a post-election summit in Brussels. The climate and ecological crisis featured as a major concern for voters in the recent European Parliament elections.

Greenpeace EU policy director Franziska Achterberg said: “The election results clearly show that Europeans, especially young people, want the EU to act now to stop catastrophic climate change and ecological breakdown. EU leaders can no longer drag their feet. They must support steeper EU emission cuts ahead of a crucial UN summit in September, and choose a Commission president who is ready to ramp up EU climate action. We have no time to lose.”

European leaders will discuss the EU’s climate plans at another summit in June, ahead of a crucial UN climate meeting in New York in September.

France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, Latvia and Luxembourg have called on the EU to commit to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to increase its 2030 climate target. The countries want the EU to announce these measures at the September UN summit.

The European Parliament also wants to see the EU ramp up its commitments, calling for an increase of the 2030 climate target from 40 to 55 percent.

Greenpeace is calling on the EU to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65 percent by 2030, and achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, in order to fulfil Europe’s commitment to the Paris climate agreement and limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C.

Current EU greenhouse gas reduction pledges would result in well over 3°C of global warming and devastating impacts on people and the natural world.