LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – According to Eurostat, greenhouse gas emissions within the EU increased by 0.3% during the first quarter of 2026. Seasonally adjusted data indicate that emissions hit 837 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, rising from 835 million tonnes in the previous quarter. During the same period, the European Union’s gross domestic product showed no change from the previous quarter. These figures offer the latest insight into the greenhouse gases produced by economic activities and households across the 27-member bloc.
Compared to the first quarter of 2025, emissions declined by 1.2%, while EU GDP grew by 0.8%, Eurostat data revealed. The emissions figures include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, all expressed in CO2-equivalent units. Eurostat adjusts the quarterly emissions series for seasonal factors to facilitate comparison between consecutive periods. The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain provided their own emissions estimates, whereas Eurostat compiled data for the remaining European Union member states.
The largest quarterly increase was observed in electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply, which rose by 4.8%. Emissions from water supply, sewerage, and waste management increased by 0.7%. Household emissions, however, decreased by 1.3%, while manufacturing, construction, and transportation and storage each saw a decline of 0.6%. Manufacturing continued to be the primary source of total EU emissions at 20.8%, followed closely by households at 20.2%. The sector of electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply contributed another 16.5% to overall emissions.
Twenty EU countries see emissions increase in quarterly report
During the first quarter, greenhouse gas emissions rose in 20 of the EU’s 27 member states, while seven experienced decreases. Estonia led the increases with a 9.7% rise, followed by Finland at 6.4% and Bulgaria at 4.6%. Eurostat attributed these increases mainly to higher emissions from construction activities and electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply. Conversely, Slovenia recorded the most significant drop at 5.0%, with Luxembourg decreasing by 3.8% and Romania by 2.7% over the same period.
Among the 20 nations where emissions rose, 18 also experienced economic growth during the quarter. Four of the seven countries that saw reductions in emissions reported either stable or higher GDP levels. These countries were Spain, Greece, France, and Slovenia. The data provides a detailed country-by-country comparison alongside the EU-wide totals, illustrating how emissions and GDP shifted across member states during the first three months of 2026.
EU’s annual emissions still below 2015 levels
Eurostat’s annual data indicates that in 2025, the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions from the economy and households totaled 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This amount was 17.2% below the level recorded in 2015. The annual measure encompasses all economic activities combined with household emissions. Despite a slight increase from the final quarter of 2025, the latest quarterly figures show that emissions remained below their year-earlier levels in early 2026.
Eurostat releases quarterly estimates of greenhouse gases to supplement economic indicators like GDP and employment. The data classify emissions by economic sector and household activity, allowing comparisons across different sectors and member states. For the first quarter of 2026, the figures recorded a modest increase in emissions for the quarter, with EU GDP remaining steady. When compared to the same quarter in 2025, the trend reversed, as greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1.2%, while economic output grew by 0.8%.