Press Release: Climate change: Commissioner Dimas welcomes 2005 reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions and calls for further action

European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has welcomed the news that the European Union's greenhouse gas emissions fell by 0.7% in 2005 and urged Member States to accelerate structural economic changes to ensure deeper, lasting emission cuts. The emissions fall in 2005 took EU-27 emissions to 11% below their levels in the Kyoto Protocol’s base year (1990 for most countries and gases) and EU-15 emissions to 2 %. The EU-15 is committed under Kyoto to ensuring that its emissions between 2008 and 2012 average at least 8% below base year levels.