In January 2010, the European Union formally confirmed its support for the Copenhagen Accord on climate change and presented its commitments for emission reduction targets. In a joint letter with the Spanish Presidency of the Council, the European Commission notified the UN of the EU's willingness to be associated with the Accord and submitted for information the EU's 20-20-20 emissions reduction targets. These consist of a unilateral commitment to reduce the EU's overall emissions by 20% of 1990 levels and a conditional offer to increase this cut to 30% provided that other major emitters agree to take on their fair share of a global reduction effort. Under the Accord, notifications are to be submitted by 31 January 2010.

Following the formal accession to the Accord, the EU will assess further the post-Copenhagen situation in February, and prepare for the next round of UN negotiations taking place in May-June.

To read more about the EU's commitment under the Copenhagen Accord, please click here.