Setting targets is an important policy instrument that has proven to drive progress in achieving specific objectives. Most countries in the world have greenhouse gas emission reduction targets or specific objectives for the development of renewable energy and/or for reducing energy consumption.

The EU and most other European countries have set such targets both for 2020 and for 2030. The EU has agreed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020, and by at least 40% by 2030. In addition, the EU also has targets for renewable energy and energy savings of 20% by 2020 and at least 27% by 2030.

The EU is on track to significantly overshoot its 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction target, possible even reaching -30% by 2020. Nevertheless several EU Member States are not on track to achieve their national targets for emissions in the non-ETS sectors. The same can be said for the needed efforts to achieve the binding Renewable Energy and non-binding Energy Efficiency targets.

The EU's 2030 Climate and Energy Targets are not compatible with the objective of the Paris Agreement to keep temperature rise to 1.5°C.

In fact, CAN Europe and many other stakeholders have been calling for much stronger 2030 targets: at least 65% greenhouse gas emission reductions; at least 45% renewable energy; and at least 40% energy savings. The Paris Agreement obliges the EU to review and increase its 2030 targets urgently, and definitely before the UN Secretary General's Climate Summit in September 2019 when world leaders will gather to raise global climate ambition. 

It will also be important to ensure that the rules that still need to be developed to ensure implementation of the targets do not contain loopholes that will allow European countries to continue to invest in coal power plants or other polluting industries. Instead, we need to ensure Europe is on a pathway to full decarbonisation by 2040.

The need to develop such zero carbon pathway is another outcome of the Paris Climate Summit. As countries committed to phase out greenhouse gas emissions in the second half of this century, all European countries should develop zero carbon roadmaps. 

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	2020 Climate & Energy Targets Many European countries have established targets for 2020 for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, for increasing the use of renewable energy or for reducing energy consumption. Read more
	2030 Climate & Energy Targets As part of the dynamic leading up to the Paris Climate Summit, almost all European countries have developed greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2030. All targets including the EU's are insufficient to achieve the objective agreed in Paris to keep temperature rise below 1.5°C. Read more
	Long-term climate targets On the basis of an overview of existing scenarios, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in 2007, highlighted that in order to keep temperature rise between 2°C to 2°C, industrialised countries would need to reduce their emission by 80% to 95% by 2050. The European Member States agreed in 2009 that they would reduce their emission by 80 to 95% by 2050. Read more
	2030 energy savings target On 22 January 2014, the Commission published a proposal  on the 2030 climate and energy policy framework, which included low ambition targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions and renewables, while introducing a delay in putting forward a proposal for energy efficiency. In July 2014, the Commission came up with an analysis of policy options for energy savings with a 2030 horizon and proposed a 30% energy savings target for 2030. Read more
	2020 energy savings target The European Union has set a target to reduce energy consumption by 20% compared to the EU energy consumption projections in 2020. Read More
	Renewable Energy Combined with energy savings, the various renewable energy sources provide the only solution to bringing greenhouse gas emissions from the power and heating sectors to zero in a relatively short timescale. Read more
	Useful Climate & Energy Targets Resources Here you find a range of useful external climate & energy targets resources. Read more