The EU economy’s greenhouse gas emissions reached 837 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 0.3% quarter-on-quarter rise while GDP remained unchanged. Energy sector emissions surged, contrasting with declines across manufacturing and transportation.
Seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union rose by 0.3% in Q1 2026 compared with the final quarter of 2025, totaling 837 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents, according to data released today by Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU. Over the same period, EU gross domestic product (GDP) recorded zero growth. Sectoral data shows that the highest increase in emissions occurred in electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply (+4.8%). In contrast, emissions dropped across total activities by households (-1.3%), manufacturing (-0.6%), and transportation and storage (-0.6%). On an annual basis, Q1 2026 emissions were down 1.2% compared to Q1 2025, while EU GDP grew by 0.8%.
At the member state level, quarter-on-quarter emissions increased in 20 EU countries and declined in 7. The steepest reductions were recorded in Slovenia (-5.0%), Luxembourg (-3.8%), and Romania (-2.7%). Conversely, Estonia (+9.7%), Finland (+6.4%), and Bulgaria (+4.6%) posted the largest gains, driven mainly by economic activity in construction and energy supply.
Notably, Eurostat breakdown indicates that the quarterly uptick in EU emissions was primarily driven by the energy sector (+4.8%), while agricultural and livestock activities remained secondary contributors compared to energy, manufacturing, and transport.