The EU achieves 17% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to grow its economy, according to new preliminary estimates released by Eurostat for 2025. The data shows that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the European Union’s economy and households fell to 3.3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2025, representing a 17.2% decline compared to 2015 levels. At the same time, the EU’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 17.5%, highlighting the bloc’s ability to reduce emissions while maintaining economic growth.

The figures provide an early indication of the EU’s progress toward its long-term climate neutrality and emissions reduction goals.

Most EU Countries Recorded Lower Emissions

The report found that greenhouse gas emissions declined in 23 of the EU’s 27 member states over the past decade.

Some countries achieved particularly significant reductions:

• Estonia: Emissions fell by 41.7%, the largest decline recorded in the EU, driven largely by changes in the energy sector.
• Finland: Emissions decreased by 30.7%, reflecting increased use of cleaner energy sources and efficiency improvements.
• Germany: Europe’s largest economy reduced emissions by 27.3%, making a substantial contribution to the EU-wide decline.

However, not every country followed the same trend.

• Malta: Emissions increased by 169.4%, the largest rise among member states.
• Cyprus: Recorded a 10.7% increase in emissions over the decade.
• Lithuania: Emissions grew by 9.5%, despite broader EU reductions.
• Romania: Saw emissions rise by 5.4% between 2015 and 2025.

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Energy Sector Leads Emissions Decline

The strongest reductions came from sectors that have undergone major energy transitions during the past decade.

• Energy supply: Emissions from electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning activities fell by 45.3%, reflecting the rapid expansion of renewable energy and the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels.
• Mining and quarrying: Emissions dropped by 33.3%, partly due to declining dependence on carbon-intensive extraction activities.
• Manufacturing: Emissions declined by 16%, supported by efficiency improvements and cleaner technologies.
• Households: Residential emissions fell by 14.7%, indicating improvements in energy efficiency and heating systems.
• Services sector: Emissions decreased by 11.9% as businesses adopted greener practices.

Additional reductions were observed in agriculture, forestry, and fishing (-5.9%), as well as water supply, waste management, and remediation activities (-2.6%).

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Transport and Construction Remain Challenges

Despite overall progress, two major sectors moved in the opposite direction.

• Construction sector: Emissions increased by 11.4%, reflecting rising infrastructure and development activity across parts of Europe.
• Transportation and storage: Emissions grew by 10.9%, highlighting the continued challenge of decarbonizing road freight, aviation, shipping, and logistics networks.

These sectors remain among the most difficult areas for policymakers to address as the EU works toward deeper emissions reductions.

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A Sign of Economic and Climate Progress

The fact that the EU achieves 17% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously growing its economy by nearly the same percentage is being viewed as a significant milestone. The data suggests that economic growth and emissions reductions are increasingly becoming decoupled as investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and cleaner technologies continue to expand.

While challenges remain, particularly in transport and construction, the latest figures indicate that the European Union is making measurable progress toward its climate objectives and demonstrating that long-term economic development can increasingly be achieved with a lower carbon footprint.

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