Data released by the community statistical office on the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the EU economy reveal that, in the third quarter of 2023, these emissions fell in 23 European countries, compared to the same period in 2022.

Of these 23 EU member states that are estimated to have reduced their emissions, Portugal and 10 others (Romania, Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria, Belgium, Spain, Slovenia, Poland, France and Lithuania) managed to “reduce emissions while increasing their GDP”, according to Eurostat.

Another 11 (Ireland, Estonia, Austria, Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Hungary) recorded declines in their GDP, while Italy maintained a stable economy.

Still by country, the biggest reductions in pollutant emissions recorded in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year were seen in Estonia (-30.7%), Bulgaria (-18.6%) and Germany (-12.2% ), while the biggest increases occurred in Malta (+7.7%), Cyprus (+3.7%) and Latvia (+3.4%).

In the EU as a whole, in the third quarter of 2023, Eurostat estimates that greenhouse gas emissions will have stood at 787 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a decrease of 7.1% compared to the same quarter of 2022.

For its part, GDP recorded a slight decline of 0.2% in the third quarter of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.

By economic sectors, the greatest reductions in pollutant emissions were seen, in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, in the supply of electricity and gas (-23.7%), in households (-6.5%) and in the manufacturing industry (-4.9%).