Following a European Council meeting in Brussels yesterday, the agreement for an EU-wide 40 per cent reduction of domestic greenhouse gas emissions on 1990 levels was made early this morning.
The target will be made binding at an EU level and will be split down to binding national targets based on each state’s economic strength.
The EU leaders also agreed to boost the use of renewable energy to 27 per cent of EU electricity generation, but while the target will be binding at an EU level this target will not be enforced on a national level.
A deal to increase energy efficiency to at least 27 per cent compared to projections of future energy consumption based on the current criteria was also made but will not be binding on an EU or national level.
The outcome is expected to be welcomed by the UK government who voiced support for an “ambitious” 40 per cent emissions reduction target ahead of the talks, but opposed a nationally binding renewable target saying member states should have the freedom to decarbonise in a “flexible way”.
President of the European Council Mr Van Rompuy, tweeted that the agreement was the “world’s most ambitious, cost-effective, and fair” climate energy policy.
EU Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said: “The EU climate action commissioner is very proud that the 28 EU leaders, despite economic uncertainty and other severe international crises, were able to get their act together on this pressing climate challenge.
“A binding 40 per cent CO2 reduction effort domestically in Europe is not an easy task. It can only be achieved through a major transformation in all parts of the society.”
She added: “In order to get Europe on the right track towards a low-carbon society, it is extremely important that the leaders also accepted the renewables target binding at the EU level just as the Commission proposed.”
Martin Schoenberg, head of policy at Climate Change Capital, the environmental asset manager and advisor, said the 40 per cent target was the “minimum needed to signal continued political commitment to decarbonisation” but added the deal was a “major achievement”.