Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Spain will be unable to reach their targets for cutting greenhouse gas emission under the Kyoto Protocol according to a report from European Environmental Agency, published by the European Commission.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU's 15 oldest members are committed to reducing their collective emissions in the 2008-2012 period to 8% below their 1990 levels. According to the latest projections, the EU-15 will reach their greenhouse gas target only if all their plans for cutting emissions are implemented, the commission warned.
With existing polices and measures, the EU-15 will reduce their emissions by only 0.6% and therefore a host of other measures, including carbon credits foreseen by the Kyoto Protocol, were needed to lift the figure.
"All member states must pull their weight to ensure that we deliver on our collective commitment," Environment Commission Stavros Dimas said. "Those that are not on track urgently need to step up efforts to meet their targets, if necessary by taking further national measures to reduce emissions," he added.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006
