In its annual report to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat, the European Environment Agency (EEA) highlights Member States’ progress greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions. The report reveals that emissions within the EU-27 were reduced by 0.3% in 2006, the most current year for which data is available. EEA estimates that, overall, emissions have fallen 7.7% below 1990 levels.

The report found that the EU-15 Member States cut emissions by 0.8 % in 2006 — 81 % of the total EU reductions — but that some Eastern European countries reported emissions increases over the 2005-2006 time frame. In a press statement, EU’s Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas noted that “a continuous effort will be required by all Member States to achieve [GHG targets].” The 12 newer EU countries “cannot rely on the successes of the past,” he said.

The report seems to point to the need for significant further work for the EU to achieve its proposed “20% by 2020″ target, since much of the reductions originated from incidental shifts in demand. The report revealed that the main contributor to the emissions decrease in the EU-27 was lower consumption of gas and oil in households and services, due to a warmer weather between 2005 and 2006. Other greenhouse gas reductions came from a decreased rate of nitric acid production, mainly in Germany, and from decreased CO2 emissions from manufacturing mainly due to depressions in France’s and Hungary’s chemical industries.

Sectors with substantial increases in GHG emissions in the EU-27 included CO2 from public electricity and heat production, CO2 from road transportation, and CO2 from iron and steel production. These findings suggest that there may be a future increase in regulation of vehicle and truck emissions and building efficiency standards, similar to Germany’s decision this week to “increase truck tolls and raise energy standards for buildings,” as reported by the AP.

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