Commission says EU emissions continue to fall as clean technologies expand

What happened

The European Commission released the 2026 EU Climate Action Progress Report and the 2026 Carbon Market Report on 9 November 2026. In its announcement, the Commission said the reports show that greenhouse-gas emissions in the European Union remain in decline.

The Commission also identified continued growth in clean technologies. Alongside the emissions trend, it said that EU member states have access to a growing pool of revenue from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) for decarbonisation investment.

The two reports bring climate-action progress and carbon-market developments together in the Commission’s latest published assessment. The announcement presents emissions, clean-technology expansion and the availability of ETS proceeds as the central findings.

Why it matters

For member states, the reported increase in available ETS revenue is relevant because the Commission identifies decarbonisation investment as its intended use. The availability of those funds sits alongside the reported decline in EU greenhouse-gas emissions and the continued expansion of clean technologies.

For sustainability teams, the release provides the Commission’s current account of these EU-level trends. It is a useful point of reference when tracking the direction of emissions, clean-technology deployment and public funding capacity connected to the ETS.

The Commission’s statement does not present these findings as separate issues: it reports them together through its climate-progress and carbon-market publications. Readers should therefore consider both reports when reviewing the Commission’s assessment.

What to do next

Review the 2026 Climate Action Progress Report and Carbon Market Report to understand the Commission’s latest findings. Organisations monitoring EU climate policy can compare their own priorities with the three areas highlighted by the Commission: falling greenhouse-gas emissions, clean-technology expansion and ETS revenue available for decarbonisation.

Member-state stakeholders can also examine the reported availability of ETS proceeds in the context of their decarbonisation investment plans. The Commission’s announcement confirms that such revenue is increasing, while giving no further detail in the release on individual national allocations or investments.