For the EU it is essential that the forthcoming global agreement sets the objective of limiting global warming to no more than 2°C above the pre-industrial level in order to prevent climate change from reaching dangerous levels at which irreversible and possibly catastrophic changes could occur. Keeping within this temperature ceiling will require worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases to be cut by more than 50% of 1990 levels by mid-century.

As a first step, the EU is proposing that developed countries commit to reducing their collective emissions to 30% below 1990 levels by 2020. EU leaders have committed the EU to making this 30% cut if other developed countries commit to comparable reductions and if the economically more advanced countries contribute adequately according to their capabilities.

EU leaders have also committed the EU to cutting its emissions by at least 20% over the same timescale, regardless of what other countries decide, in order to start transforming Europe into a highly energy efficient, low carbon economy.

The January 2008 Climate Action and Renewable Energy (CARE) package and other initiatives such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are major steps towards implementing these goals and sends a clear signal to the rest of the world of the EU's commitment to serious action to combat climate change.

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The main role of the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General (DG) is to initiate and define new environmental legislation and to ensure that agreed measures are put into practice in the EU Member States.