The EU’s climate and energy strategy for 2030 will not include a specific target on curbing emissions from transport, the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases in the bloc and the most expensive to cut.

Many in industry and some member states have pushed hard for a simplified EU climate framework after 2020, when current policies expire, that ditches existing sub-targets for sectors such as transport and energy.

That would allow governments to pursue the most cost-effective emissions cuts as they try to safeguard the bloc’s fragile economic recovery.

But critics say this will mean emissions from transport will continue to rise in contrast to all other sectors, making it less likely that Europe will meet its long-term climate goals.

The European Commission, the EU executive, will publish on January 22 its vision for policy to succeed its 2020 climate goals. This will not translate into firm law until after lengthy debate involving EU member states and the European Parliament.

EU officials say they expect the proposed goals for the next stage to 2030 will include just one fully binding carbon-cutting target of either 35 per cent or 40 per cent compared with 1990 levels.

So far, the EU is on track to meet its 2020 goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent versus 1990 and to increase the share of renewable energy in the mix to 20 per cent. The one non-binding 2020 goal, of improving energy savings by 20 per cent, is not likely to be met.

Existing sub-targets to cut road fuel emissions by six per cent by 2020 and to get 10 per cent of all transport fuel from renewable sources such as biofuel are likely to be met, but are not expected be extended in next week’s proposal.

An attempt to make international aviation using EU airports join the scheme from the start of 2012 provoked threats of a global trade war, forcing the EU to back down.