In 2017, the EU increased its CO2 emissions

Last year, the EU increased its CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels by 1.8 percent. The European Commission announced that it will propose a long-term strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Only seven countries cut their carbon footprint from fossil fuels last year: Finland (-5.9 percent), followed by Denmark (-5.8), the United Kingdom (-3.2) and Ireland (-2.9). The country with the largest economy in the EU, Germany, has barely changed its emissions.

The data from the European Statistical Office is bad news for Brussels, which, through legislative changes for many years, have sought to increase the prices of greenhouse gas emissions and thereby reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.

The Commission will present a proposal for a long-term strategy for reducing greenhouse gases that will be in line with the conclusions of the global Paris agreement. Under the Paris Agreement, the EU has pledged to cut CO2 emissions by at least 40%. until 2030, while modernizing the economy and creating jobs.