Estonia saw the biggest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the fourth quarter of last year, with emissions dropping by 23% compared to the same period in 2022, according to Eurostat data.
Other countries to see a notable decrease in emissions during the period included Bulgaria (-17.0%), Finland (-9.0%), Belgium (-7.2%) and Sweden (-7%).
Major economies
Emissions reductions were also observed in some of the EU’s major economies, with Germany seeing emissions drop by 5.6%, Italy recording an emissions reduction of 3.6%, Spain also down by 3.6%, and France reporting an emissions decline of 3%.
A number of countries also saw an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, however, with increases reported in Malta (+7.7%), Slovenia (+5.6%), Cyprus (+2.3%), Slovakia (1.7%) and Greece (+0.3%).
Emissions reduction across the EU
Overall, greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union dropped by 4.0% in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in the previous year, Eurostat’s data showed.
The total emissions for the EU economy amounted to 897 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq) during this period, down from 935 million tonnes of CO2-eq recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Overall, the EU’s GDP remained stable in the fourth quarter of the year, showing a 0.2% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Biggest emissions reductions by EU country, Q4 2023
| Country | Emissions Reduction (%) |
|---|---|
| Estonia | -23.011 |
| Bulgaria | -16.96 |
| Finland | -8.988 |
| Belgium | -7.199 |
| Sweden | -7.042 |
| Czechia | -6.042 |
| Germany | -5.61 |
| Denmark | -4.824 |
| Austria | -4.783 |
| European Union – 27 countries | -3.998 |
| Ireland | -3.846 |
| Italy | -3.599 |
| Spain | -3.584 |
| Hungary | -2.976 |
| France | -2.946 |
| Latvia | -2.633 |
| Poland | -2.438 |
| Portugal | -2.15 |
| Romania | -1.754 |
| Lithuania | -0.966 |
| Netherlands | -0.861 |
| Croatia | -0.283 |
| Luxembourg | -0.213 |
| Greece | 0.27 |
| Slovakia | 1.654 |
| Cyprus | 2.25 |
| Slovenia | 5.578 |
| Malta | 7.739 |
