Portugal recorded, in 2025, the second-largest increase (4.2%) in the European Union (EU) of greenhouse gas emissions, announced today by the European Commission.
According to the Interim EU Climate Action Report for 2026 and the Carbon Market Report, released today by the European Commission, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU fell in 19 Member States and rose in eight, including Portugal, which registered the second-largest increase (4.2%) after Italy (5.8%) and followed by Spain (2.2%), driven by the forest sector.
Across the EU average, GHG emissions fell by 1.6% in 2025, compared to the previous year, but the European Commission highlights the need for “a faster pace of reductions to meet the climate goals for 2030”.
The European Commission also indicated that nine EU Member States (EU), including Germany, are far from meeting the environmental targets for 2030, having been asked to present corrective measures.
Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta and Sweden will have to present corrective measures to accelerate the implementation and development of emission-reduction measures and investments.
Germany and Italy are respectively the first and third largest economies in the bloc.
The report indicates that emissions covered by the Effort Sharing Regulation (including national transport, buildings, agriculture and waste) are currently forecast to decrease by about 38.5% by 2030, compared with 2005, slightly below the 40% EU-wide target.
According to the document, before Member States resort to the flexibilities of the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) to meet their targets, Germany, Ireland and Malta show the largest projected deviations from the 2030 target.
Conversely, Bulgaria, Greece and Portugal show the largest surpluses relative to their 2030 ESR targets.
Brussels also notes that forest fires were particularly severe in 2025, with the area burned in Europe reaching an unprecedented level of more than 1 million hectares, largely due to fires on the Iberian Peninsula in August.
Emissions from fires in Europe also reached record levels, as vegetation growth during the wet winter and early spring in some regions, followed by a persistent drought and repeated heatwaves, created favorable conditions for large-scale fires, especially in Spain, France, Portugal and Italy, according to the Commission.
