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Emission data and projections The European Union has committed itself to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in order to limit the negative impacts of man-made climate change. Under the Kyoto Portocol, the Union as a whole has taken on a target of minus 8% from 1990 levels by the period of 2008 to 2012. The unique political set-up of the Union divides its policy-making into EU and Member State level. In the field of climate policy, it is recognized that 'common and co-ordinated policies and measures' at Community level are necessary to fulfil, as the EC itself is a Party to the international climate treaty. However, these measures are a supplement to national climate policy. The countries are responsible for their relative share under the EU burden sharing agreement (BSA) and many of them have their own national climate targets. Domestic implementation remains a vital part of successful emission abatement. The implementation strategy at EU level follows the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). Member State policies are diverse. Some countries started elaborating climate plans more than ten years ago, others have only recently begun to systematically take on the challenge of reducing their GHGs. Assessing the implementation of the EU climate policy on the Member State level involves two main elements: planned and implemented policies and their results in terms of the actual emissions. Accordingly, these pages provide information on:
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