LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – According to Eurostat, greenhouse gas emissions in the EU economy increased by 0.3% during the first quarter of 2026. Seasonally adjusted, emissions reached 837 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, up from 835 million tonnes in the previous quarter. During the same period, the European Union’s gross domestic product remained unchanged. These figures offer the latest insight into emissions generated 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 saw an increase of 0.8%, Eurostat data indicates. The reported emissions encompass carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, all expressed in CO2-equivalent terms. Eurostat adjusts the quarterly data for seasonal variations to facilitate comparisons between successive periods. The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain contributed their own emissions estimates, while Eurostat provided data estimates 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 grew by 0.7%. Household emissions saw a decrease of 1.3%, whereas manufacturing, construction, and transportation and storage each declined by 0.6%. Manufacturing continued to be the leading contributor to overall EU emissions at 20.8%, with households close behind at 20.2%. Electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply accounted for an additional 16.5% of the total.
GHG Emissions Rise in 20 EU Countries
During the quarter, greenhouse gas emissions increased in 20 of the EU’s 27 member states and declined in seven. Estonia experienced the largest rise at 9.7%, followed by Finland at 6.4% and Bulgaria at 4.6%. Eurostat attributed these increases mainly to higher emissions from construction and the supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning. Slovenia saw the most significant decrease at 5.0%, with Luxembourg at 3.8% and Romania at 2.7% during the same period.
Among the 20 countries where emissions increased, 18 also saw GDP growth in the quarter. Conversely, four of the seven nations that reduced emissions recorded either stable or higher economic output; these were Spain, Greece, France, and Slovenia. The data provide a detailed country-by-country view, illustrating how emissions and GDP changed during the first three months of 2026 across different member states.
Emissions Stay Below 2015 Levels Annually
Eurostat’s annual figures show that the EU’s economy and household greenhouse gas emissions totaled 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2025, representing a 17.2% decline from 2015. This annual measure accounts for all economic activities combined with households. Despite a slight rise from the last quarter of 2025, the latest quarterly data indicates emissions remained below the same period last year in early 2026.
Eurostat releases quarterly estimates of greenhouse gases to complement economic indicators such as GDP and employment. The data categorize emissions by economic activity and households, enabling sectoral and country comparisons within the EU. For the first quarter of 2026, the figures show a modest increase in quarterly emissions with unchanged EU GDP. Comparing to the same quarter of 2025, emissions decreased by 1.2%, while economic output rose by 0.8%.