European Union Priorities

The EU aims to become a global climate leader and set an example for the world by taking responsibility for climate change. In 1990, the European Council discussed climate change for the first time and set a target to stabilize GHG emissions at 1990 levels by 2000 to signal its climate ambitions to the international community.

The EU became part of the UNFCCC in 1992 and committed to stabilizing GHG concentration in the atmosphere to a non-dangerous interference with the climate system.

In 1996, the EU set a more precise target of keeping global temperature rise below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels. The EU signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, which focuses on limiting GHG emissions from industrialized countries, and committed to the highest absolute reduction among all industrialized countries.

In 2005, the EU launched the Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), the first-ever GHG emission trading, which allows the trade of emission rights and aims to cut emissions cost-effectively.

In 2007, the EU broadened and deepened the Kyoto Protocol with a legislative package 20-20-20 that included targets for GHG emission reduction, increase in the share of renewable energy, and improvement of energy efficiency. All these measures had targets of 20%.

In 2014, the European Council set new, more challenging 2030 targets on the 2020 goals. The EU increased its willingness to reduce emissions and scale up renewable energy and energy efficiency when signing the Paris Agreement in 2015.

In 2019, the EU introduced the European Green Deal to ensure that the Paris Agreement commitments are implemented. Many instruments from the Fit for 55 package have been adopted in the Green Deal.