The European Union does not expect to reach an agreement on the new climate objective set by the UN, within the deadline set for this month, and instead has drafted plans to submit a temporary target, which could be changed later, as an EU negotiating document shows.

EU countries are struggling to reach an agreement on their new climate target for 2040, which has overturned Union plans to submit a goal for 2035 to the United Nations until the deadline set for all countries this month. The EU had planned to set its climate target for 2035 based on the target for 2040.

The draft of the EU document, which saw Reuters, showed that the Union is now considering submitting a “declaration of intentions” to the United Nations on its 2035 goal, indicating that it will be between 66.3% and 72.5% reduction in emissions by 2035, compared to 1990 levels.

The EU will decide its final objective for 2035 later, after reaching an agreement on its climate target for 2040, according to the document. The ambassadors of the EU countries will discuss the plan on Tuesday, which may change during the negotiations.

This move aims to avoid the EU’s presence with empty hands at the UN General Assembly next week, where UN Secretary -General Antonio Guterres has asked countries to announce their climate goals in order to create a dynamic for global negotiations for the COP.

However, it leaves the question open how ambitious the EU’s ultimate goal will be and increases the possibility that the EU will lag behind other major broadcasts, including China, in setting its new climate goal.

Manon Dufor, executive director of Think Tank E3G, said the plan could allow the EU to agree on a more ambitious goal later, before the COP30, but that it raises questions about the EU leadership in the field of climate change.

“It does not particularly contribute to the lifting of doubts about the EU’s internal transition, nor to the mobilization of global partners before the UN General Assembly, in such a critical year for global climate action,” he said.

The upper limit of target range reflects a path to reducing emissions by 90 % by 2040, which is the objective of EU countries as a climate target for 2040, according to the document.

The lower limit is calculated by the marking of a straight line between the existing EU climate targets for 2030 and 2050.

Countries such as Poland have supported a range that starts from the lower limit, while countries such as Spain and Denmark want a more ambitious goal, according to EU diplomats.