European Climate Change Programme
Introduction
The European Commission has taken many climate-related
initiatives since 1991, when it issued the first Community
strategy to limit carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions and improve
energy efficiency. These include: a directive to promote
electricity from renewable energy,
voluntary commitments by car makers to reduce CO 2 emissions
by 25% and proposals on the
taxation of energy products.
However, it is clear that action by both Member
States and the European Community needs to be reinforced if
the EU is to succeed in cutting its greenhouse gas emissions
to 8% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012, as required by the Kyoto
protocol.
The EU Council of Environment Ministers acknowledged
the importance of taking further steps at Community level
by asking the Commission to put forward a list of priority
actions and policy measures.
The Commission responded in June 2000 by launching
the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). The goal of
the ECCP is to identify and develop all the necessary elements
of an EU strategy to implement the Kyoto Protocol.
The development of the first
ECCP involved all the relevant groups of stakeholders
working together, including representatives from the Commission’s
different departments (DGs), the Member States, industry and
environmental groups.
The second European Climate
Change Programme (ECCP II) was launched in October 2005.
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