Taken together, the laws are designed to ensure the 27-country EU - the world's third-biggest greenhouse gas emitter - reduces its net emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030.
But with governments weighing their commitments to protect the planet against other national interests - and a backdrop of soaring inflation - countries moved to weaken some of the green measures.Environment ministers on Tuesday clinched agreement on an upgrade of the EU's carbon market, its main emissions-cutting policy, which forces industry and power plants to buy CO2 permits when they pollute.
Ministers agreed to delay the launch of the new carbon market by a year, to 2027, and said it should be accompanied by a new 59-billion-euro EU fund to support poorer households, comprised of revenues from CO2 permits sold in the new carbon market.EU countries supported the bloc's proposal for a 100% cut in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035, which would effectively ban new combustion engine car sales in the EU by that date.