Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council. Climate action progress report, including the report on the functioning of the European carbon market and the report on the review of Directive 2009/31/EC on the geological storage of carbon dioxide

According to most recent estimates, in 2014 total EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions covered by the 2020 Climate and Energy Package were 23% below the 1990 level and decreased by 4% compared to 2013. According to the projections with existing measures provided by Member States in 2015, emissions are estimated to be 24% lower in 2020 than they were in 1990. These projections were made before the 2014 emissions figures became available.

The EU is therefore currently on track towards meeting its Europe 2020 greenhouse gas reduction target as well as its Kyoto Protocol targets. For all but four Member States (Luxembourg, Ireland, Belgium and Austria), projected emissions in 2020 are below the domestic targets set under the Effort Sharing Decision.

According to the projections with existing measures provided by Member States, total EU GHG emissions in 2030 are estimated to be 27% below 1990 levels. Additional measures are needed for the EU to meet the target of a domestic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990. To address this, the Commission proposed a revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) in July 2015. In the first half of 2016, the Commission will also make proposals on the implementation of the non-ETS emissions reduction target of 30% compared to 2005.

The EU continues to successfully decouple its economic growth from its GHG emissions. During the 1990-2014 period, the EU’s combined GDP grew by 46%, while total GHG emissions (excluding LULUCF and including international aviation) decreased by 23%. The EU’s GHG emission intensity, of the economy defined as the ratio between emissions and GDP, decreased by almost half between 1990 and 2014.

The implementation of structural policies in the field of climate and energy has significantly contributed to this successful decoupling. In particular, the implementation of the 2020 Climate and Energy Package has resulted in a significant increase in renewable energy and progress in energy efficiency. Both of these are the key drivers behind the observed reduction in emissions, with the carbon price acting as driving force expected to be progressively stronger in the future.

The accompanying staff working document includes additional technical information and data related to progress towards the Kyoto and EU 2020 objectives. It also provides the references for the main data and figures presented in this report.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: The Energy Union on track to deliver http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-the-energy-union-on-track-to-deliver/

EUR-Lex: SWD(2015)246: Technical information http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2015:246:FIN

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