The European Commission unveiled on Wednesday a package of proposals that aims to deliver commitments of EU leaders to fighting climate change and promoting renewable energy.

The European Union (EU) heads of state and government agreed in March 2007 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent and increase to 20 percent the share of renewable energy in the energy consumption by 2020. They agreed that emissions reduction will be increased to 30 percent by 2020 under the condition that a new global climate change agreement is reached.

Wednesday's package proposes to expand the current Emission Trading System (ETS) to more greenhouse gases and involve all major industrial emitters. Currently only carbon dioxide is include.

The emission allowances put on the market will be reduced year-on-year to allow for emissions covered by the ETS to be reduced by 21 percent from 2005 levels in 2020, said the commission, the executive body of the EU.

In sectors not covered by the ETS such as buildings, transport, agriculture and waste, the EU will reduce emissions to 10 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. For each member state the commission is proposing a specific target by which it must reduce or, in the case of new member states, may increase its emissions up to 2020.

On the use of renewable energy, the commission is proposing individual, legally enforceable targets for each of the member states. Today, the share of renewable energy in the EU's final energy consumption is 8.5 percent, way below the target of 20 percent in 2020.

The package also addresses the minimum target of 10 percent of biofuels in transport in the EU by 2020.

The package contains a proposal on carbon capture and storage, which is intended to encourage EU industries to develop technology which would allow them to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it underground.

The commission has also adopted new guidelines on state aid for projects aimed at combating climate change.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2008)