European Climate Policy
The European Union played a key role in the development of the two major treaties addressing Climate Change. The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, which was agreed in 1997.
The EU has been taking serious steps to address its own greenhouse gas emissions since the early 1990s. In March 2000 the Commission launched the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). The ECCP has led to the adoption of a wide range of new policies and measures. Among these is the pioneering EU Emissions Trading Scheme, launched on 1 January 2005, which has become the cornerstone of EU efforts to reduce emissions cost-effectively.
Austria ratified the Kyoto Protocol jointly with the EU on May 30, 2002. The European Union and its member countries can fulfil the reduction commitment of 8% jointly ('Burden Sharing Agreement'). The reduction target for Austria was thereby set to 13% (until 2008/2012 in comparison to 1990 or 1995 for HFCs, PFCs and SF6).
| Luxembourg | -28,0% | Finland | 0,0% |
| Denmark | -21,0% | France | 0,0% |
| Germany | -21,0% | Sweden | +4,0% |
| Belgium | -13,0% | Ireland | +13% |
| Austria | -13,0% | Spain | +15% |
| Great Britain | -12,5% | Greece | +25% |
| Italy | -6,5% | Portugal | +27% |
| Netherlands | -6,0% |
The Burden Sharing Agreement of the European Union.
