The European Commission wants member states to assess climate risks, establish national resilience plans and incorporate future warming into public investment decisions. Yet the proposed legislation does not provide the funding needed to implement its ambitions.

The European Commission has proposed a new climate resilience law that would require EU governments to assess their exposure to extreme weather, identify authorities responsible for managing risks and develop national plans to protect infrastructure and economic activity.

Presented on 27 October, the initiative marks a shift in European climate policy towards managing the consequences of changing weather conditions alongside efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the Commission estimates that adapting Europe’s infrastructure and economy to future climatic conditions will require approximately €70 billion annually.

The proposed legislation does not establish a dedicated funding programme of that size.

This creates an immediate question for member states already facing difficult decisions over defence expenditure, energy security and public borrowing.

Brussels wants governments to make climate preparedness a routine part of economic planning, but the financial responsibility for delivering those measures remains largely unresolved.

National governments face new obligations

Under the Commission’s proposed Climate Resilience Law, EU governments would be required to conduct more systematic assessments of climate risks.

The proposal envisages national assessments by 30 June 2029 and strategic resilience plans by 31 December 2030.

These documents would identify threats affecting infrastructure, public services, economic activity and communities.

Governments would also be expected to specify which public authorities are responsible for managing particular risks.

The intention is to prevent situations in which responsibility is divided between institutions without a clear mechanism for action.

The proposed framework would establish a common basis for assessments across the EU, allowing national authorities to compare risks and coordinate responses.

This could be particularly relevant where droughts, floods or disruptions to energy networks affect more than one member state.

The deadlines remain proposals rather than existing legal obligations. The legislation must still be negotiated and adopted by the European Parliament and the Council.

A common warming scenario

One of the most significant elements of the proposal is the introduction of a shared reference trajectory for global warming.

According to the Commission’s announcement, the framework uses a trajectory involving global average warming of approximately 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2030, 2°C by 2050 and 3°C by 2100.

These figures would provide a common planning assumption for evaluating long-term risks.

They are not legally determined temperature outcomes or a guarantee that warming will follow precisely that path.

Instead, they are intended to help authorities examine how buildings, roads, energy facilities and other infrastructure might perform under changing climatic conditions.

For example, a transport project designed to operate for several decades would need to consider possible exposure to extreme heat, flooding or changes in rainfall patterns.

Such assessments could influence engineering requirements, maintenance costs and investment decisions.

The financial problem

The Commission estimates that approximately €70 billion a year will be needed to strengthen Europe’s climate resilience.

That expenditure could include flood protection, water management, urban cooling, agricultural adaptation and improvements to vulnerable infrastructure.

The Commission argues that preventive investment can reduce the economic losses associated with disasters.

According to its figures, climate-related damage across the EU amounted to approximately €200 billion between 2022 and 2025, averaging €50 billion annually.

However, estimating the economic benefits of prevention does not resolve how projects should be financed.

National governments face competing demands on their budgets, while local authorities often bear responsibility for infrastructure without possessing sufficient resources for major investment programmes.

Private financing may contribute in commercially viable areas, but some adaptation projects generate public benefits rather than direct financial returns.

Flood barriers, emergency drainage systems and measures protecting vulnerable communities may therefore require substantial public expenditure.

The proposed legislation establishes a framework for identifying such investments but does not guarantee the resources necessary to undertake them.

Businesses and insurers face changing risks

The Commission also wants climate resilience to become part of business and financial decision-making.

Companies operating transport networks, energy facilities and industrial sites may face increasing exposure to disruption from extreme weather.

Insurers must assess the potential for more frequent or costly claims.

Banks and investors may need to consider whether assets remain commercially viable under changing environmental conditions.

These issues have implications for credit conditions, property values and long-term investment.

However, incorporating climate risks into financial decisions can create difficulties for regions where exposure is high and adaptation costs are substantial.

Insurance premiums may rise, while some properties or economic activities could become increasingly difficult to insure.

The Commission has indicated that further proposals concerning climate insurance and disaster preparedness are being developed.

Their eventual design will influence how financial risks are distributed between households, businesses, insurers and governments.

New European climate information tools

The framework also introduces instruments intended to improve access to scientific information.

The European Climate Viewer will provide mapped information on projected climate hazards.

The Navigator of Climate Resilience Tools will help authorities and businesses identify relevant assessment instruments.

A separate Solutions Explorer will provide examples of adaptation measures developed through European research programmes.

These tools could make climate information more accessible, particularly for smaller administrations without extensive technical resources.

Nevertheless, access to information does not automatically produce the financing or institutional capacity required to implement projects.

A municipality may be able to identify a flood risk more precisely while remaining unable to finance the necessary protective infrastructure.

A new responsibility for Brussels and national capitals

The Commission is expected to present an additional EU strategic plan on climate resilience in 2028.

Separate initiatives are also being prepared on heatwaves, insurance and disaster preparedness.

The resulting framework could substantially influence how public infrastructure and investment projects are planned across Europe.

However, national governments will have to determine how the proposed requirements interact with existing spending obligations and economic priorities.

The European Parliament and Council must also decide whether the legislation should include stronger financial provisions.

The central issue is not whether governments should assess the risks facing infrastructure and public services, but how the measures identified by those assessments will be funded.

Until that question is addressed, the proposed law will establish a more comprehensive system for recognising climate-related risks without guaranteeing that member states possess the resources to reduce them.

The European Parliament has taken another step towards revising the European Union’s 2035 vehicle-emissions framework, after lawmakers from three major political groups agreed amendments offering manufacturers greater flexibility in meeting carbon dioxide reduction targets.

The compromise, approved on 22 October by Parliament’s Transport and Industry committees, proposes an 87.5 per cent reduction in average emissions from new passenger cars by 2035, compared with the 2021 baseline. This is less stringent than the European Commission’s proposed 90 per cent reduction and represents a further departure from the existing 100 per cent reduction in tailpipe emissions for new cars and vans.

The changes have not become law. They remain subject to parliamentary procedures and negotiations with EU governments. Nevertheless, the committee agreement shows how concerns over manufacturing competitiveness, production costs and technological choices are reshaping European climate legislation.

A fundamental revision of the 2035 framework

The original 2035 target, adopted in 2023 as part of the EU’s Fit for 55 legislation, required manufacturers to achieve a 100 per cent reduction in average tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions from new cars and vans. It effectively directed the market towards battery-electric and other zero-emission vehicles.

Manufacturers have argued that the transition is taking place under difficult commercial conditions. Competition from Chinese producers, costs of developing new platforms and batteries, and uncertainty over charging infrastructure contributed to demands for regulatory flexibility.

In December 2025, the European Commission responded with an automotive package proposing a 90 per cent reduction requirement by 2035. It would permit manufacturers to compensate for some remaining emissions using mechanisms involving low-carbon steel produced in the EU and qualifying renewable fuels.

The latest parliamentary compromise would lower the target further, to 87.5 per cent, while allowing low-carbon steel credits to count towards compliance. For light commercial vehicles, lawmakers also proposed reducing the 2035 target to 80 per cent and the 2030 target to 35 per cent.

Why low-carbon steel matters

A notable feature of the compromise is the connection between car-emissions rules and European steelmaking. Steel production is a major industrial source of carbon dioxide, and companies face investment requirements to replace conventional production processes with lower-emission alternatives.

Regulatory credits for carmakers using qualifying European low-carbon steel could create demand for cleaner industrial materials and encourage domestic investment. But emissions avoided during production are not equivalent to reductions in exhaust emissions. The accounting mechanism therefore creates a distinction between cutting tailpipe output and compensating for some remaining emissions through materials and manufacturing.

The compromise also connects vehicle rules with a broader industrial-policy debate about European-made products. As EU Today previously reported, vehicle decarbonisation has increasingly become part of the discussion about European industrial competitiveness.

Electric vehicle sales continue to increase

The debate comes despite growth in electric vehicle registrations. According to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, battery-electric cars represented 22.7 per cent of new EU passenger car registrations in the first nine months of 2026, against 16.1 per cent during the same period of 2025.

Approximately 1.93 million battery-electric cars were registered between January and September, with considerable growth in Germany and France. Hybrid-electric vehicles nevertheless remained the largest single powertrain category at 36.3 per cent, while petrol and diesel together represented 28.2 per cent, down from 36.9 per cent a year earlier.

The figures show that electrification is progressing, but combustion engines still account for a substantial share of sales. Manufacturers must make investment decisions across several technologies while anticipating changing legislation.

Disagreements over industrial strategy

The parliamentary compromise follows discussions between France and Germany about the relationship between car-emissions rules and measures favouring European production. Paris has emphasised domestic industrial capacity; Berlin has pressed for greater technological flexibility.

Supporters of looser standards argue that manufacturers need time to adjust investment and respond to consumer demand. Critics warn that weakening the target could delay investments in electric vehicles, batteries and charging networks by making future demand less certain.

The eventual legislation will determine not only which vehicles may be sold after 2035, but also how the EU balances emissions reduction, international competition and the position of its manufacturing industry.