International. European Union leaders have reached an agreement to reduce the bloc's net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the end of the decade compared to 1990 levels, following a UN climate meeting held in late 2020.
The 27 member states approved the EU executive commission's proposal to tighten the bloc's intermediate target on the road to climate neutrality by mid-century, after a group of reluctant and coal-dependent countries finally agreed to support the improved target.
"Europe is the leader in the fight against climate change," EU Council President Charles Michel tweeted as dawn broke over the EU capital. "We decided to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the 21-hour summit during which the climate debate was a constant concern had much to show. "It was worth going a sleepless night," he said.
Five years after the Paris agreement, the EU wants to be a leader in the fight against global warming. However, the bloc's leaders were unable to agree on the new target the last time they met in October, mainly due to financial concerns from eastern nations seeking more clarity on how to finance and manage the green transition.
But the long-awaited agreement on a huge long-term budget and coronavirus recovery secured by EU leaders gave a boost.
Large swaths of the record €1.82 trillion package will go towards programmes and investments designed to help member states, regions and sectors particularly affected by the green transition, which need a profound economic and social transformation. EU leaders have agreed that 30% of the package, some €550 billion, should be used to support the transition.
However, agreeing on a common language was not an easy task. The negotiations were marked throughout the evening by intense discussions in the plenary session and multiple talks in smaller groups on the sidelines.
Another delay in revising the EU's current 40% emissions reduction target by 2030 would have been particularly embarrassing ahead of the virtual Climate Ambition Summit marking five years since the Paris agreement, and leaders worked to the end to seal a deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised "an important signal" that will allow EU leaders to "attract our great international partners, especially the United States and China."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that he wants the UK to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% from 1990 levels by 2030, a more ambitious target than the EU's.
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