EU Commissioner Piebalgs, in U.S., Discusses EU Climate Change and Energy Policy

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, in Washington this week for a series of meetings on Capitol Hill and with Administration officials, discussed EU energy and environment priorities in a speech before the European Institute.

"The European Union recently made an unprecedented step. On 9 March 2007, the European Council—that is the Heads of State and Government of the EU's 27 Member States—agreed on an integrated climate and energy policy, backed up by a detailed action plan. This makes the EU unique across the globe for having binding, regional targets for energy and climate policy….

"This has been warmly welcomed across the EU and across society…. Our citizens know that tackling climate change has a cost, but today's investment in cleaner energy is a price worth paying….

"On climate change, the Council established an independent EU commitment to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels, plus a commitment to extend this reduction to 30 percent if other developed countries commit themselves to comparable emissions reductions."

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