Report from the Commission under Council Decision 93/389/EEC as amended by Decision 99/296/EC for a monitoring mechanism of Community greenhouse gas emissions
Date: 2003-11-28
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU environmental policy, air quality, climate change, environmental monitoring, greenhouse gas, reduction of gas emissions, report

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 28.11.2003
COM(2003) 735 final

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION

under Council Decision 93/389/EEC as amended by Decision 99/296/EC for a
monitoring mechanism of Community greenhouse gas emissions

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION

under Council Decision 93/389/EEC as amended by Decision 99/296/EC for a
monitoring mechanism of Community greenhouse gas emissions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Executive summary...................................................................................................... 2

Member States Compliance with reporting requirements............................................ 4

Evaluation of actual progress ....................................................................................... 5

Evaluation of projected progress................................................................................ 11

Emission targets and reductions of accession countries ............................................ 18

Glossary and Abbreviations ..................................................................................................... 21

1.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This  is  the  fourth  progress  report  under  Council  Decision  93/389/EEC  as  amended  by
Decision  99/296/EC  for  a  monitoring  mechanism  of  Community  carbon  dioxide  (CO2)  and
other  greenhouse  gas  emissions.  It  assesses  the  actual  and  projected  progress  of  Member
States  and  the  Community  towards  fulfilling  their  greenhouse  gas  (GHG)  emission
commitments  under  the  United  Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate  Change
(UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.

This report refers to  the  European  Environment Agency  (EEA)  Environmental  Issue  Report
Greenhouse  gas  emission  trends  and  projections  in  Europe  (EEA,  2003).  In  its  overall
assessment it considers the impacts of domestic policies and measures that reduce emissions.
Projected  shortfalls  in  emissions  reductions  do  not  take  into  account  future  EC  and/or
international emissions trading, nor do they include reductions that can be achieved by the use
of  the  project-based  mechanisms  under  the  Kyoto  Protocol  (Kyoto  mechanisms),  Joint
Implementation (JI) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Neither does the report
include emission removals by domestic carbon sinks, a policy option explicitly incorporated
into the Marrakech Accords.

However, for those Member States which have already submitted data on the projected use of
carbon sinks and the Kyoto mechanisms, this report presents a preliminary assessment of how
much these instruments could contribute to achieving their individual burden sharing  target.
Unfortunately,  the  quantitative  information  provided  by  Member  States  is  very  limited.
Therefore,  the  overall  assessment  can  only  be  based  on  the  contribution  of  domestic  action
excluding domestic carbon sinks.

Actual progress of the EC: In 2001, the emissions of GHG from the EU (European Union)
have increased for a second consecutive year. They are estimated to have been 1.0 % higher
in 2001 than a year earlier. GHG emissions are now 2.1 percent points above the Kyoto target

2

path1, clearly showing how much more effort still is required for the implementation of more
vigorous  policies  and  measures.  Member  States  have  to  effectively  implement  policies  and
measures. The EC and its Member States shall take the necessary measures  as identified by
the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) to comply with its commitments under the
Kyoto Protocol (cf. Council Decision 2002/358/EC, Article 2 (3)).

Performance  among  Members  States  is  highly  variable.  Luxembourg  and  Sweden  have
decreased  their  GHG  emissions  and  are  now  in  the  group  of  Member  States  that  are  below
their  individual  target  paths  in  2001.  Most  Member  States  have  performed  less  well.  More
than half of the Member States are still above their target paths. All of these Member States
except  for  Spain  have  even  increased  the  distance  from  their  target  path  between  2000  and
2001.

Projected progress of the EU: Aggregate Member States’ projections suggest that  existing
policies and measures will not be sufficient to reach the EC’s Kyoto target. The “with existing
measures” projection suggests that in 2010 the emissions of the European Community (EC)
will have decreased by only 0.5 % leaving a significant gap of 7.5 % from the Kyoto target.
The figure on projected progress for the EC as a whole is considerably worse than the figure
given  in  last  year’s  report  (cf.  COM(2002)702).  Germany  presented  updated  projections  in
June 2003. According to these projections, Germany – the largest emitter of GHG within the
EC  –  is  even  slightly  off  track  of  fulfilling  its  target,  whereas  Germany’s  projections  in
previous years had reported a large over-achievement.

11 Member States have identified additional policies and measures to achieve their respective
commitments according to the burden sharing agreement. The projections taking into account
these additional measures reveal that six Member States would over-achieve their individual
commitment,  some  of  them  to  a  considerable  extent.  At  EC  level  the  over-achievement  by
these Member States would result in reductions of GHG emissions for the EC as a whole by
7.2 % below base year emissions, still leaving a small gap of 0.8 % to the EC Kyoto target.
These  projections  have  to  be  interpreted  with  considerable  caution  because  of  significant
uncertainties and methodological shortcomings, for example in the assumptions on economic
development  and  on  the  effectiveness  of  policies  and  measures  that  have  still  to  be
implemented.  With  the  start  of  the  1st  commitment  period  only  five  years  ahead,  it  will  be
important to further improve the methodologies for projections of policy impacts for the next
report.

Preliminary  assessment  of  the  accounting  for  “flexible  mechanisms”  of  the  Kyoto
Protocol as well as land use and land use change and forestry

Seven  Member  States  reported  on  their  intention  of  using  the  Kyoto  mechanisms  to  reach
their respective reduction commitment. However, these intentions are preliminary and provide
more qualitative than quantitative information. At this early stage these Member States have
identified  measures  contributing  to  the  reduction  commitment  of  21  Million  tonnes  of  CO2
equivalent2,  of  which  20  million  tonnes  is  identified  by  the  Netherlands.  Notably,  the
Netherlands  and  Austria  have  put  in  place  significant  budgets  for  the  Kyoto  mechanisms.
However, more detailed information is required to assess these estimates.

1

2

The “Kyoto target path serves as tool for comparing the achievements of the Member States and the EU
as a whole (see Chapter 3).
The  equivalent  CO2-emissions  are  those  emissions  from  the  other  GHG  regulated  by  the  Kyoto
Protocol, which exert the same radiative forcing as CO2

3

                                                
Various Member States  have also  reported on their estimations of net  carbon stock  changes
for the first commitment period under Article 3(3) of the Kyoto Protocol, and some on their
intention to account for activities under Article 3(4) of the  Kyoto Protocol on land use, and
land use change and forestry (LULUCF). The reported aggregated estimations from LULUCF
from  the  Member  States  would  represent  a  net  sequestration  of  13  Million  tonnes  CO2.
However,  these  data  are  preliminary,  in  particular  because  the  Intergovernmental  Panel  on
Climate  Change  (IPCC)  Good  Practice  Guidance  for  the  LULUCF  sector  is  still  under
preparation.

Compliance with reporting requirements: The timely submission of the inventories is still
a  problem  for  Germany,  Greece,  Italy,  Luxembourg,  Portugal  and  Spain.  Furthermore,  the
inventories from Greece and Luxembourg contain considerable gaps. However, there has been
continued progress in Member States’ reporting on emission inventories and domestic policies
and measures under the EC monitoring mechanism.

Accession Countries: All Accession Countries  except  Slovenia were on track  to  meet  their
Kyoto  target  and  forecast  emissions  in  2010  to  reach  or  even  be  lower  than  their  Kyoto
commitments under a “with existing measures” scenario.

Common  and  Co-ordinated  Policies  and  Measures:  Common  and  Co-ordinated  Policies
and  Measures  at  EC  level  are  integral  parts  of  the  EC’s  effort  to  achieve  the  Kyoto  target.
Progress has been made in developing and adopting measures in the field of energy, transport
and  industry,  as  agreed  under  the  first  phase  of  the  European  Climate  Change  Programme.
The potential of these Common and  Co-ordinated  Policies and  Measures for reducing  GHG
emissions  had  been  evaluated  by  expert  judgement  within  the  different  Working  Groups  of
the ECCP without using any model. The policies and measures currently adopted by the EC
or  those  proposed  by  the  European  Commission  would  result  –  if  adopted  –  in  emission
reductions  of  about  300  Million  tonnes  CO2-equivalent  in  the  15  existing  Member  States,
potentially covering the gap of 7.5% between the “with existing measures” projection and the
EC Kyoto target. However, whether this potential can be realised during the first commitment
period  will  depend  on  how  swiftly  Member  States  will  implement  Community  legislation.
Furthermore, there is a risk of double counting as Member States might have reported some of
the  potential  reductions  of  these  policies  already  as  part  of  their  domestic  policies  and
measures.  Methodologies  for  Community-wide  projections  on  the  effectiveness  of  climate
policy impacts need to be further harmonized.

2.

MEMBER STATES COMPLIANCE WITH REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The  EC’s  compliance  with  UNFCCC  and  Kyoto  Protocol  reporting  obligations  and  the
evaluation  of  actual  progress  depends  upon  the  timely  availability  of  the  relevant  national
inventories from which a complete EC inventory covering all 15 Member States is compiled.
Member States are required to submit inventory data by 31 December each year in respect of
the  previous  calendar  year  (i.e.  2001  data  by  31  December  2002).  Six  Member  States
(Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain  and Portugal) did not send their inventories in
time. By 4 April 2003, however, all Member States had reported data for 2001.

Data availability in general has improved with regard to the previous years. Gaps still exist for
Greece (SF6 for 1990-2001), and Luxembourg (CO2, CH4 and N2O3 for1991-93; HFCs, PFCs

3

CH4 = Methane, N2O = Nitrous oxide

4

                                                
and  SF6  for  1990-2000).  A  data  gap-filling  procedure  was  applied  in  accordance  with  the
guidelines  of  the  monitoring  mechanism  for  Luxembourg  (CO2,  CH4  and  N2O  for  1991–93
and fluorinated  gases for 1990-2000). Additionally, for those countries which did not report
HFCs,  PFCs  and  SF6  before  1995,  the  gaps  were  also  filled  to  establish  a  consistent  data
series. Data on CO2, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions used in this report do
not  include  emissions  and  removals  from  LULUCF.  The  outstanding  methodological
decisions  under  the  Article  3(3)  and  3(4)  of  the  Kyoto  Protocol  for  LULUCF  were  agreed
upon  at  the  7th  Conference  of  the  Parties  of  the  UNFCCC  (COP-7)  in  November  2001  in
Marrakech  (“Marrakech  Accords”).  However,  the  comprehensive  methods  for  estimating
changes  of  carbon  pools  (sinks)  are  not  yet  available  but  are  currently  being  developed  by
IPCC.

The future effects of both implemented and proposed policies and measures are used for the
assessment  of  the  projected  progress  towards  fulfilling  the  commitments  under  the  Kyoto
Protocol.  All  Member  States  submitted  projections  for  total  GHG  emissions  for  2010.
However, Germany and Spain did not deliver the projections by gas. For the EU as a whole,
the  analysis  of  effects  of  policies  and  measures  is  only  possible  to  a  limited  extent  as
Germany,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  the  Netherlands,  Portugal  and  Spain  did  not  submit
projections for every sector.

3.

EVALUATION OF ACTUAL PROGRESS

Progress of the European Union as a whole

The  EC  has  committed  itself  to  reduce  its  GHG  emissions  by  8  %  from  base  year  level
(emissions  in  1990  for  CO2,  CH4  and  N2O,  but  1995  for  fluorinated  gases)  in  the  first
commitment  period  2008–2012  of  the  Kyoto  Protocol.  A  “burden  sharing  agreement”  has
been  reached  by  Council  Decision  2002/358/EC  between  the  15  existing  Member  States  in
accordance with Article 4 of the Kyoto Protocol. This agreement assigns a specific reduction
target to each Member States (cf. EEA 2003, Chapter 2.1, Table 1). It also serves as basis for
reaching their commitments individually for every Member States in case the EC as a whole
would fail to reach its commitment in the period 2008 - 2012.

The actual and projected progress is  measured  by  the distance-to-target  indicator which had
already been used in previous years as a tool for displaying the success of the EC and of the
Member States.  It shows  the  difference between  actual EU GHG  emissions  and  an  notional
Kyoto target path of the EU. The Kyoto target path shows the theoretical linear decrease of
GHG  emissions  from  the  base  year  level  until  2010,  the  mid-term  year  of  the  first
commitment period (cf. Figure 1). When using the target path it has to be kept in mind that
the Kyoto Protocol was agreed in 1997 and ratified by the EC and its Member States in 2002.
Furthermore, the European Climate Change  Programme was only launched in  2000  and  the
policies  and  measures  resulting  from  that  programme  are  only  now  starting  to  deliver.
Nevertheless,  the  comparison  with  the  target  path  is  a  comfortable  tool  to  visualise  the
evolution  of  the  greenhouse  gases  emissions  from  the  EC  and  its  Member  States.The  EEA
report  Greenhouse  gas  emission  trends  and  projections  (EEA,  2003)  provides  a  detailed
analysis  of  emission  trends  for  the  EC  and  each  Member  State.  Here  a  summary  of  these
trends is presented.

The  EC  GHG  emissions  decreased  by  2.3 %  from  base  year  level  in  2001  (Figure  1)  and
reached a level of 4108 Million tonnes CO2-equivalent. The reduction is not much more than
one quarter of the EC’s Kyoto target of an 8 % reduction from base year level to 2010. The

5

distance  to  the  EC  Kyoto  target  is  larger  than  in  the  last  year’s  evaluation  because  GHG
emissions  have  increased  for  the  second  consecutive  year4.  Total  GHG  emissions  were  2.1
index points above the Kyoto target path in 2001 (Figure 1). This emphasises the importance
of  more  vigorous  and  efficient  implementation  of  existing  and  additional  policies  and
measures  by  the  Member  States  identified  in  the  projections  (cf.  Chapter  4)  as  well  as  the
policies and measures identified by the ECCP (see second ECCP Communication5).

Progress by greenhouse gas

Trends  for  the  different  sectors  and  greenhouse  gases  varied  considerably.  CO2  is  the  most
important  greenhouse  gas in the EU, accounting  for 82  % of  total  GHG  emissions  in  2001.
From 2000 to 2001, EC CO2 emissions rose by 1.6 % to the highest level of CO2 emissions
since 1990 which is even more worrying given the importance of this gas within the total of
the GHG emissions. Most of the other greenhouse gases have, on the contrary, been reduced
since 1996. The transport sector is contributing most to the increase in CO2 (20 % above 1990
level).  The  next  most  significant  sector,  ‘Other  sectors’  (mainly  energy  combustion  in
households,  but  also  in  commercial-  and  institutional  buildings,  and  in  agriculture),  has
increased its GHG emissions by 3 % above 1990 level.

4

5

In the 2002 Commission Progress Report a 3.5 % decrease was reported for emissions between the base
year and 2000 but, due to updated data provided by Member States, the decrease amounts to the 3.3 %,
presented in this report.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/climat/second_eccp_report.pdf

6

                                                
Figure 1
LULUCF emissions and removals)

EC  greenhouse  gas  emissions  compared  with  targets  for  2010  (excl.

)
0
0
1
=
r
a
e
y

e
s
a
B

(

x
e
d
n
I

120

110

100

90

80

100

101.6

97.7

0
9
9
1

5
9
9
1

0
0
0
2

5
0
0
2

92.0

0
1
0
2

GHG emissions

Target path 2010

GHG target 2010

CO2 emissions

CO2 target 2000

Note: The linear Kyoto target path is used to evaluate EC GHG emissions in 2001 compared to the Kyoto target
of the EC, not as an approximation of future EC emission trends.
Source: EEA, 2003

Methane (CH4) emissions account for 8 % of total EU GHG emissions and have decreased by
21 % between 1990 and 2001. The main reasons for declining CH4 emissions were the decline
of coal mining,  reductions in solid waste disposal on land  and technical measures to  reduce
these  emissions,  and  decreasing  numbers  of  cattle.  The  emissions  from  these  sectors  have
been decreasing constantly since 1990.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, responsible for 8 % of total GHG emissions, have decreased
by  16  %  between  1990  and  2001.  The  most  important  sources  contributing  to  the  steady
decrease in N2O emissions since 1990 are the chemical industry, especially the production of
adipic  acid,  where  emissions  have  fallen  substantially  due  to  technical  measures,  and
agricultural soils, where emissions decreased due to a reduction in the use of fertilisers.

Fluorinated-gas emissions show opposing trends: whereas HFC emissions increased by 11 %
between  1995  and  2001,  PFC  emissions  declined  by  28 %  and  SF6  emissions  were  25 %
below 1995 levels in 2001. Fluorinated-gases accounted for only 1 % of total GHG emissions
in  2001.  The  recent  development  from  2000  to  2001  shows  all  fluorinated-gas  emissions
decreasing.

For more information, refer to EEA 2003, Chapter 3.1.

Progress by sector

A sectoral analysis has been performed to analyse those sources with the largest contribution
to  the  EU  GHG  emissions  and  their  trends  between  1990  and  2001.  The  most  important  in
2001 were:

–  CO2  emissions  in  the  energy  industries,  with  a  27 %  share  in  2001  of  the  overall  GHG-

emissions. These emissions have reduced by 2 % since 1990;

7

 
 
 
 
–  CO2 emissions from transport, with  a 20 %  share in 2001 and  an increase  of  20  %  since

1990;

–  CO2  emissions  in  ‘Other  sectors’  (mainly  combustion  processes  in  households,  public
buildings and agriculture), with a 16 % share in 2001 and an increase of 3 % since 1990;

–  CO2  emissions  from  manufacturing  industries  and  construction  (mainly  from  heat  and

power production), with a 14 % share in 2001 and a decrease of 9 % since 1990.

These sources cover more than three-quarters of total GHG emissions in the EC and all result
from fuel combustion. A detailed overview of the important sources of greenhouse gases and
their development are listed in EEA, 2003, Chapter 3.3.1.

In the transport sector GHG emissions in  the  EC have been increasing most. Between  1990
and  2001,  CO2  emissions  from  transport  increased  by  139  Million  tonnes  (20 %).
Additionally,  the  N2O  emissions  of  transport  have  been  rising.  Transport  mainly  includes
emissions  from  fossil  fuel  combustion  in  road  transportation,  domestic  civil  aviation,
domestic  navigation  and  railways.  The  main  reason  for  the  high  growth  of  CO2  emissions
from transport is the increase in road transport volumes and associated fuel consumption (cf.
EEA 2003, Chapter 3.3.3).

The manufacturing industries and construction sectors were, in contrast, the sectors with the
largest  reductions  in  emissions.  Both  the  CO2  emissions  from  fossil  fuel  combustion  in
manufacturing  industries  and  the  N2O  emissions  from  the  chemical  industry  decreased  by
about  57  Million  tonnes  CO2-equivalent,  leading  to  a  relative  reduction  of  9  %  in  the
manufacturing sector since 1990 and of 54 % in the chemical sector. Economic restructuring
following the German reunification and continuing  efficiency improvements,  also mainly  in
Germany,  are  responsible  for  this  success  by  manufacturing  industry.  The  reductions  in  the
chemical industry are due to specific technical measures in adipic acid production, mainly in
the UK, Germany and France (cf. EEA 2003, Chapter 3.3.2).

Other sectors with large changes in emissions since 1990:

Fugitive  CH4  emissions  from  solid  fuels  have  been  reduced  by  33 Million  tonnes  CO2-
equivalent, amounting to a reduction of almost 70%. However, they only contribute 0.4 % to
total EC GHG emissions. The main reason for this large decrease is the decline of coal mining
in the UK, Germany and France (cf. EEA 2003, Chapter 3.3.1).

Substantial  reductions  in  methane  emissions  (30 Million  tonnes  CO2-equivivalent  or  28 %)
were achieved in solid waste disposal on land (“landfilling”), which is responsible for 2 % of
total emissions in 2001. This was mainly due to measures related to the implementation of the
European Landfill Waste Directive (cf. EEA 2003, Chapter 3.3.6).

Carbon  dioxide  emissions  in  energy  industries  (electricity,  heat  and  steam  production)
decreased by 25 Million tonnes (2%) between 1990 and 2001. This was largely caused by fuel
shifts  from  coal  to  gas  in  several  Member  States  (particularly  in  the  UK)  and  improved
efficiency  (especially  in  Germany).  The  use  of  combined  heat  and  power  generation  has
increased towards a share of 10 % across the EC (cf. EEA 2003, Chapter 5.4.1). Additionally,
the  increasing  use  of  renewable  energy  sources  (with  a  nearly  15 %  share  in  electricity
consumption in 2000), in particular wind power generation in Germany, Denmark and Spain,
contribute to these CO2 reductions. However, due to a large increase in emissions from energy
industries  in  2001,  the  reductions  reported  this  year  are  about  one  third  less  than  those

8

reported last year for the time period 1990-2000. The main reasons for the increase reported
this year are the fuel shift to high carbon containing coal in electricity production in 2001, due
in part to higher oil and gas prices, and the increased demand in district-heating, in particular
by households (Eurostat, NewCronos database, 2003).

EEA,  2003,  Chapter  3.3  provides  more  quantitative  information  by  sector  on  the  trends  in
GHG emissions for different gases and sectors.

Progress  at  Member  State  level:  Most  Member  States  increased  the  distance  to  the  target
path  in  2001  compared  to  2000,  whereas  only  Spain  reduced  this  distance  and  Sweden
extended its distance below the target path. The target path serves to evaluate the progress of
each  Member  State  in  emission  reduction  or  limitation,  compared  to  the  theoretical  linear
Kyoto target path of the Member States under the Burden Sharing Agreement. In 2001, only
five Member States (France, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden and the United Kingdom) were
“on  track”  towards  reaching  their  specific  targets,  i.e.  they  were  below  or  close  to  (France)
their target paths (Table 1). Ten Member States were well above their target paths  (Austria,
Ireland, Spain and Portugal significantly above 10 percentage points).

The reductions in emissions achieved since 1990 largely resulted from decreases by Germany
and the UK, the largest emitters of GHG within the EC (accounting for approximately 40%).
In  2001,  these  two  Member  States  had  reduced  their  GHG  emissions  by  313 Million
tonnes CO2-equivalents compared to the base year level. German CO2 emissions from energy
and  manufacturing  industries  even  declined  by  16  %  and  33  %  respectively.  However,  in
2001 the GHG emissions of both of these Member States increased again. The most important
reasons were increasing electricity demand and lower outdoor temperatures within the heating
period (winter) compared to the preceding year.

Italy and France are the third and fourth largest emitters with a share of 13 % each. In 2001,
the Italian GHG emissions hardly increased (0.3 % from 2000, which is modest compared to
the increase of 7% in 2001 from base year levels). The emissions increased primarily in the
transport sector and electricity production.

In France, GHG emissions increased again by 0.5 % above 2000, thus reversing the previous
downward trend. The emissions were very close to the base  year level.  In particular, France
achieved  large  reductions  in  N2O  emissions  from  the  chemical  industry,  but  CO2  emissions
from transport have nevertheless increased considerably between 1990 and 2001.

The fifth largest emitter in the EU, Spain, accounts for about 9% of total EU greenhouse gas
emissions. In 2001, emissions were 32 % higher than their base year level. However, in 2001
Spain  was  the  only  Member  State  that  reduced  its  GHG  emissions  from  their  level  of  the
previous  year  (by  1 %  compared  to  2000).  Emission  reductions  were  substantial  within  the
Spanish  energy  industries  (CO2  emissions  decreased  by  5%)  due  to  a  large  increase  in
electricity  production  by  hydro  power  plants.  This  sector  expanded  by  more  than  one  third
during  2001  reaching  a  share  of  18%  of  Spain’s  total  electricity  production  (Eurostat,
NewCronos database, 2003).

EEA  2003,  Chapter  3.2  provides  more  quantitative  information  on  progress  by  Member
States.

9

Table 1:
and removals) and Kyoto Protocol targets for 2008-2012

Greenhouse  gas  emissions  in  CO2  equivalents  (excl.  LULUCF  emissions

Base year6
(Mt CO2)

Kyoto target
7according to EC
Burden sharing

GHG emissions
2001
(Mt CO2)

Change 2001
(in % of base year
emissions)

Change 2001
(in % of 2000
emissions)

Distance-to
target indicator
(index points)

Austria

Belgium

Denmark8

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

The Netherlands

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

78.3

141.2

69.5

77.2

560.8

-13.0 %

-7.5 %

-21.0 %

0.0 %

0.0 %

1216.2

-21.0 %

107.0

53.4

509.3

10.9

211.1

61.4

289.9

72.9

+25.0 %

+13.0 %

-6.5 %

-28.0 %

-6.0 %

+27.0 %

+15.0 %

+4.0 %

The United Kingdom

747.2

-12.5 %

85.9

150.2

69.4

80.9

560.8

993.5

132.2

70.0

545.4

6.1

219.7

83.8

382.8

70.5

657.2

Total EC

4204.0

-8.0 %

4108.3

Source: EEA, 2003

+9.6 %

+6.3 %

+4.8 %

+0.2 %

+16.8

+10.5

-0.2 % (-9.0)

+1.8 %

+11.4 (+2.6)

+4.7 %

+0.4 %

-18.3 %

+23.5 %

+31.1 %

+7.1 %

-44.2 %

+4.1 %

+36.4 %

+32.1 %

-3.3 %

-12.0 %

-2.3 %

+7.3 %

+0.5 %

+1.2 %

+1.9 %

+2.7 %

+0.3 %

+1.3 %

+1.3 %

+1.9 %

-1.1 %

+2.2 %

+1.3 %

+1.0 %

+4.7

+0.4

-6.8

+9.8

+23.9

+10.7

-28.8

+7.4

+21.6

+23.8

-5.5

-5.2

+2.1

6

7

8

Base year for CO2, CH4 and N2O is 1990; for the fluorinated gases most Member States have indicated
to select 1995 as base year, as allowed for under the Protocol. Therefore, for the purpose of this analysis
of the EU  greenhouse  gas emission trends, 1995 is used as the base  year  for  fluorinated  gases  for  all
Member States.
In the Council decision on the approval by the EC of the Kyoto Protocol the different commitments of
the  Member  States  are  expressed  as  percentage  change  from  the  base  year.  In  2006  the  respective
emission level shall be expressed in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. In this connection,
the Council of Environment Ministers and the  Commission have a joint statement agreed to take into
account i.a. the assumptions in Denmark’s statement to the Council Conclusion from June 16-17 1998
relating to the base year emissions.
For  Denmark,  data  that  reflect  adjustments  for  variations  in  electricity  trade  in  1990  are  given  in
brackets.

10

                                                
Figure 2:
Protocol and burden sharing targets of EU Member States

Distance-to-target  indicators  (in  index  points  =  percent)  for  the  Kyoto

EU-15

Luxembourg

-28.8

2.1

-6.8

-5.5
-5.2

(cid:1)

Germany

Sweden

United Kingdom

France

Finland

Netherlands

Greece

Belgium

Italy

Denmark

Austria

Portugal

Spain

Ireland

0.4

4.7

7.4

(cid:2)

9.8

10.5

10.7
11.4

16.8

21.6

23.8

23.9

- 40

- 30

- 20

- 10

0

+ 10

+ 20

+ 30

Percent points below (-) or above (+) linear target path

Notes:

1. Distance to target in percent (the bars) show the deviations between a hypothetical target (in 2001) and what actually has been achieved (in
2001), under the assumption that reductions as a percentage of 1990 levels take place on a linear basis. It assumes that the Member States
meet their target entirely on the basis of domestic measures and therefore does not include the use of Kyoto mechanisms or sinks allowed for
under the protocol.

2. The Danish distance-to-target indicator is +2.6 index points, if Danish greenhouse gas emissions are adjusted for electricity trade in 1990.

Source: EEA, 2003

4.

EVALUATION OF PROJECTED PROGRESS

This section compares the most recent  projections of the GHG  emissions  of  Member  States
for  the  year  2010  (the  midterm  year  of  the  first  commitment  period  of  the  Kyoto  Protocol)
with  their  individual  targets.  Additionally,  it  compares  the  aggregated  Member  State
projections with the EC Kyoto target. The “with existing measures” projections only consider
the  domestic  (including  EU  common  and  coordinated)  policies  and  measures  currently
implemented,  while  the  “with  additional  measures”  projections  also  take  those  policies  and
measures  into  account  which  are  under  discussion  and  have  a  realistic  chance  of
implementation.  The  projections  are  supplemented  by  a  preliminary  assessment  of
contribution of the Kyoto mechanisms and carbon sinks.

Comparison of Member States “with existing measures” projections with the EC Kyoto
target

Table  2  on  “with  existing  measures”  projections  shows  how  far  existing  policies  and
measures implemented by Member States are expected to contribute to their individual targets
and  the  size  of  the  remaining  gaps.  These  contributions  vary  significantly  across  Member
States, reflecting the different degree of policy development between countries. Sweden  and

11

the UK are the only Member States projecting themselves to have lower  GHG  emissions in
2010  than  their  respective  targets  with  existing  domestic  policies  and  measures.  In  both  of
these Member States, this projection is made on the strength of efficient measures introduced
since the Kyoto Protocol was agreed in 1997. However, this will not prevent other Member
States  from  being  in  breach  of  their  commitments.  Decision  2002/358/EC  requires  every
Member  State  to  take  the  necessary  measures  to  meet  their  individual  target.  For  more
information, see EEA 2003, Chapter 2.1.

Table  2:  Comparison  of  Member  States’  “with  existing  measures”  total  emissions
projections  (excluding  LULUCF  emissions  and  removals)  compared  with  the  Kyoto
commitments

Individual
burden sharing
target 9

Commitment
implied by
burden sharing

Scenario with
existing policies
and measures

(Mt CO2)

(Mt CO2)

in 2010

Scenario with
existing
policies and
measures

% change

in 2010

Gap

Gap

(Mt CO2)

(in % of
Base year)

Base year

(Mt CO2)

(used for
projections
assessment)

77.2

145.0

69.5

77.2

542.7

Austria

Belgium

Denmark

Finland

France

Greece

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

107.0

53.8

521.0

12.7

-13.0 %

67.2

-7.5 %

134.1

-21.0 %

0.0 %

0.0 %

+25.0 %

54.9

77.2

542.7

962.4

133.8

+13.0 %

60.7

-6.5 %

487.1

-28.0 %

9.2

Germany

1218.2

-21.0 %

The Netherlands

212.0

-6.0 %

199.3

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

64.9

207.0

70.4

+27.0 %

82.4

+15.0 %

238.1

+4.0 %

73.2

United Kingdom

744.7

-12.5 %

651.6

86.1

167.4

81.2

89.9

594.3

977.8

145.2

75.2

540.1

9.9

225.0

91.5

307.0

70.9

640.9

+11.5 %

+18.9

+24.5 %

+15.4 %

+33.3

+22.9 %

+16.8 %

+26.3

+37.8 %

+16.5 %

+12.7

+16.5 %

+9.5 %

+51.6

+9.5 %

-19.7 %

+15.4

+1.3 %

+35.7 %

+11.4

+10.7 %

+39.8 %

+14.4

+26.8 %

+3.7 %

+53.0

+10.2 %

-22.4 %

+0.7

+5.6 %

+6.1 %

+25.7

+12.1 %

+41.0 %

+9.1

+14.0 %

+48.3 %

+69.0

+33.3 %

+0.7 %

-2.3

-3.3 %

-13.9 %

-10.7

-1.4 %

Total EC

4123.3

-8.0 %

3773.8

4102.3

-0.5 %

+328.5

+7.5 %

9

See footnote 5

12

                                                
The aggregated current “with existing measures” projections for the EC only project a small
decrease of GHG emissions of 0.5 % by 2010 relative to the base year level. This leads to a
shortfall  of  7.5 percentage  points  with  regard  to  the  target  of  minus  8 %  (about
329 Million tonnes CO2-equivalent) by 2010.

This  result  is  considerably  worse  than  last  years’  projections  which  had  forecasted  a  4.7  %
decrease  in  EC  GHG  emissions  for  2010.  Recently  updated  projections  from  Denmark,
Germany and Greece estimate their respective projected emissions for 2010 to be higher than
reported last  year. On the other  hand,  Austria  and  Italy estimate slightly  lower emissions in
2010. Germany’s revised projection (preliminary information given in June 2003) affects the
EC projections significantly. The new German projections indicate that Germany might miss
its  target  by  15  Million  tonnes  of  CO2-equivalent.  In  contrast,  the  last  projection  from
Germany  showed  an  over-achievement  of  155  Million tonnes  for  2010.  In  their  updated
projections, Germany  has  evaluated  the effects  of its climate  change  programme  adopted  in
2000 and recent policies and measures (including those of 2002).

The EC “with existing measures” projections for individual gases reveal that the emissions of
CO2  are  projected  to  increase  by  4  %  (mainly  because  of  the  projected  large  increase  in
traffic-related  emissions).  Information  for  other  GHG  is  less  comprehensive  especially
because Germany and Spain did not report these data. Therefore, it  is difficult to draw  firm
conclusions. Decreases are projected for CH4 and N2O  of 32  %  and 12 % respectively over
the  period  1990  to  2010  for  those  countries  that  reported  information  on  these  gases.
However,  for  fluorinated  gases  a  significant  increase  of  39  Million  tonnes  CO2-equivalent
(98%) is projected by 2010 compared  to the base  year. For more information,  refer  to EEA
2003, Chapter 4.1.

The  projections  of  GHG  emissions  from  the  transport  sector  are  of  considerable  concern.
They  indicate  under  the  “with  existing  measures”  scenario  a  rise  of  about  34  %  by  2010,
compared  to  1990.  This,  however,  is  lower  than  previous  projections,  thus  indicating  that
actions  undertaken,  such  as  the  agreement  with  car  manufacturers  on  the  reduction  of  CO2
emissions per kilometre from new passenger cars, are starting to deliver.

Comparison  of  Member  States  “with  additional  measures”  projections  with  the  EC
Kyoto target

The  “with  additional  measures”  projections  reveal  that  even  with  these  additional  policies
and measures in place the EC will not achieve its Kyoto target. With additional measures, the
EC will decrease its GHG emissions by 7.2 % from base year level to 2010, still leaving a gap
of  0.8 percent  points  to  its  Kyoto  target  of  –8  %.  This  result  can  only  be  achieved  because
Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Sweden and the UK project to achieve or over-achieve their
burden-sharing target. For more information, refer to EEA 2003, Chapter 4.2.

The  quality  of  the  projections  provided  still  leaves  much  scope  for  improvement.  Four
Member  States  (Germany,  Luxembourg,  Portugal  and  Sweden)  did  not  provide  any
quantification of their additional policies and measures. Sweden projects existing policies and
measures  to  be  sufficient.  For  those  countries  that  have  identified  additional  savings  of
greenhouse gases, most of these savings are expected to come from further reductions in CO2.
The  overall  quality  of  the  above  mentioned  projections  generally  suffers  from  the
uncertainties related to:

13

- the level of implementation of policies and measures; and,

- the methodologies used for the projections and their reporting.

Preliminary  assessment  of  accounting  for  the  use  of  flexible  mechanisms  and  carbon
sinks under the Kyoto Protocol

In  order  to  complement  the  assessment  of  progress  on  the  basis  of  domestic  measures,  the
European  Commission  sent  a  questionnaire  to  Member  States  on  their  intentions  and
preparations for use of Kyoto mechanisms (Articles 6, 12 and 17 of the Kyoto Protocol) and
carbon sinks (Articles 3(3) and 3(4) of the Kyoto Protocol).

The status of preparations for the use of  Kyoto mechanisms  differ largely  between  Member
States. Six Member States (Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands,  Portugal, Spain  and  the  UK)
have  already  decided  to  use  these  Kyoto  mechanisms  in  addition  to  domestic  policies  and
measures to achieve their targets for the first commitment period, 2 of which have presented
their first quantitative estimations. The Netherlands and Portugal are planning to account for
20  and  about  1  Million  tonnes  of  CO2-equivalent  per  year,  respectively  through  the  use  of
flexible  mechanisms.  Austria  intends  to  account  for  up  to  50%  of  its  effort  to  meet  its
commitment by flexible mechanisms. Austria and the Netherlands have proceeded furthest in
their  preparations  for  implementing  the  project  based  mechanisms  and  have  allocated
considerable budgets. With its forecast use of the Kyoto mechanisms of 20 Million tonnes of
CO2 equivalent, the Netherlands would close the gap between its “with additional measures”
projections  and  its  burden-sharing  target  only  if  the  most  optimistic  scenario  of  its  “with
additional  measures”  projections  is  considered10.  Portugal,  which  intends  to  generate  up  to
1.3  Million  tonnes  CO2  equivalent,  would  only  achieve  a  slight  reduction  of  its  gap.
Furthermore, Portugal did not provide detailed information on the implementation of a legal
framework or any specific projects.

For  the  EU  these  quantified  estimates  on  the  use  of  Kyoto  mechanisms  by  Member  States
would  contribute  some  0.5%  of  the  base  year  emissions.  However,  this  figure  has  to  be
interpreted with caution because only very few Member States have until now indicated their
intention to account for JI and CDM and provided the respective data. For more details, see
EEA, 2003, Chapter 6.

Member States have also to account for afforestation, reforestation and deforestation activities
under  Article  3(3)  of  the  Kyoto  Protocol.  However,  only  five  Member  States  (Austria,  the
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UK) provided projected annual estimates for net carbon
stock changes under Article 3(3) of the Kyoto Protocol. Whereas Austria and Sweden expect
unquantified additional emissions from such activities,  the  Netherlands,  Portugal,  Spain  and
the  UK  expect  net  sequestration.  Regarding  Article  3(4)  of  the  Kyoto  Protocol,  only  three
Member States have decided so far to account for forest management.

Reported  aggregate  estimations  from  Articles  3(3)  and  3(4)  activities  of  the  Member  States
would  represent  a  net  sequestration  of  13  Million  tonnes  of  CO2  per  year.  This  amount  is
composed of 10 Million tonnes for afforestation, reforestation and deforestation and 3 Million
tonnes  for  forest  management,  cropland  management,  grazing-land  management  and  re-
vegetation. At the EC level, these activities would amount to approximately 0.3% of base year
emissions.

10

The Netherlands did not give a specific amount of reduction of emissions but a range.

14

                                                
For  some  Member  States,  these  activities  can  make  a  significant  contribution  to  their
commitments.  Spain  and  Portugal  are  the  Member  States  intending  to  take  most  account  of
carbon sinks, or “land use, land use change and forestry” activities (LULUCF), projecting to
reduce their gap by about 3 % each. The UK projects to further increase its over-achievement
from these activities.

However,  these  data  are  still  preliminary  and  therefore  a  reliable  projection  on  the
contribution at the EC level is not possible. More detailed projections on the effects of sinks
are difficult to provide because the IPCC Good Practice Guidance for the LULUCF sector is
still under preparation. Additionally, the policies to account for LULUCF and the associated
budgets  are  still  in  the  early  stages  of  their  preparation.  For  more  details,  see  EEA,  2003,
Chapter 7.

Common and Co-ordinated Policies and Measures (CCPMs) of the EC

This  section  summarises  briefly  current  CCPMs  at  the  Community  level.  The  European
the  most
Climate  Change  Programme  (ECCP)  was  established 
environmentally  and  cost-effective  measures  to  meet  the  EC  target.  The  “Communication
from  the  Commission  on  the  implementation  of  the  first  phase  of  the  European  Climate
Change Programme”11 highlighted a package of measures which the Commission intended to
bring forward in 2002 and  2003.  The second report  in 2003  under the ECCP12 updated that
package  of  measures  together  with  more  proposals,  especially  in  those  fields  where  no
measures had been proposed previously.

to  help 

identify 

According to preliminary  estimations of the reduction potential, based on expert  judgement,
all the measures identified in the ECCP represent a total emission reduction potential of about
twice  the  amount  required  for  fulfilling  the  Kyoto  target  (578  to  696  Million  tonnes  CO2-
equivalent).  The  legislative  measures  currently  in  force  or  already  proposed  by  the
Commission  would  –  according  to  these  figures  –  already  result  in  potential  emissions
reductions  of  about  300  Million  tonnes  CO2-equivalent.  If  these  measures  are  adopted  and
implemented  by  Member  States  in  a  comprehensive  and  timely  manner  this  reduction
potential  would  materialise  and  could  cover  the  gap  between  the  “with  existing  measures”
projection and the EC target. Table 3 gives an overview of the progress in the policy measures
proposed  by  the  ECCP  as  at  September  2003.  However,  given  the  uncertainties  whether
proposals  made  will  be  adopted  and  implemented  as  proposed,  evaluation  of  their  potential
contribution should be viewed with great caution.

11

12

COM(2001)580, 23/10/2001
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/climat/second_eccp_report.pdf

15

                                                
Table 3:

Progress in Common and Co-ordinated Policies and Measures

Proposed measure

Status of implementation

Cross-cutting issues

Directive  establishing  a  scheme  of  GHG
emission trading within the Community

Adopted by Council and Parliament13

Effective 
IPPC
implementation 
(Integrated  Pollution  Prevention  and
Control Directive)

of 

Work on an IPPC reference document on
generic  energy  efficiency 
techniques
started in 2003;

Ongoing work on various sector-specific
BAT 
techniques)
(best 
reference documents;

available 

Revision  of  published  BAT  reference
documents to start in 2003

Proposal adopted by the Commission14

Linking  project  based  mechanisms  to
GHG emissions trading

Review of the monitoring mechanism

Proposal adopted by the Commission15

Energy

Directive on taxation of energy products

Adopted by the Council16.

Directive  on  energy  performance  of
buildings

Directive  on  the  promotion  of  electricity
from renewable energy sources

Proposal  for  a  framework  directive  on
eco-efficiency  requirements  for  energy
using products

Adopted by Council and Parliament17

Adopted by Council and Parliament18

Proposal adopted by the Commission19

Proposal  for  a  Directive  on  energy
demand

In preparation

Proposal for a Directive on combined heat
and power

Proposal adopted by the  Commission  20;
in co-decision

Initiatives  on  increased  energy  efficient
public procurement

In preparation

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

2003/87/EC from 13/10/03, OJ L275, 25/10/2003, p.32-46
COM(2003)403 of 23/07/03
COM(2003)51 of 05/02/2003
2003/96/EC, OJ L 283 of 31/10/2003
2002/91/EC, OJ L 001 of 04/01/2003, p. 65-71
2001/77/EC, OJ L 283 of 27/10/2001, p. 33-40
COM(2003)453 of 23/07/03
COM(2003)416,OJ C 291 E of 26/11/2002, p. 182-209

16

                                                
Public awareness campaign and campaign
for take-off

Included in 2003 Work Plan “Intelligent
Energy for Europe”

Transport related

agreement 

car
Voluntary 
manufacturers from EU, Japan and Korea
to  reduce  fleet  average  CO2  emissions  to
140g/km by 2008/2009 (pre ECCP)

the 

of 

Monitored through yearly report

Review in 2003/2004

Shifting  the  balance  between  modes  of
transport

Package  of  actions,  in  accordance  with
the White Paper on a Common Transport
Policy21

Proposal 
for 
infrastructure use and charging

improvements 

in

Proposal adopted by the Commission22

Promotion  of  the  use  of  bio-fuels  for
transport

Proposal  on  special  tax  arrangements  for
diesel  fuel  used  for  commercial  purposes
and  on  the  alignment  of  excise  duties  on
petrol and diesel fuel

Proposal  on  a  regulation  on  the  granting
of  Community  financial  assistance  to
improve  the  environmental  performance
of the freight transport system

Agriculture

Adopted by Council and Parliament23

Proposal adopted by the Commission24

Proposal adopted by the Commission25

Common rules for direct support schemes
under the common agricultural policy and
establishing  certain  support  schemes  for
farmers

Support  for  rural  development  from  the
European  Agricultural  Guidance  and
Guarantee Fund (EAGGF)

Adopted26

Adopted27

Industry

Proposal 
fluorinated gasses

for 

legislative 

action  on

Proposal adopted by the Commission28

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

COM(2001)370, ISBN 92-894-0339-X
COM(2003)448 of 23.07.2003
2003/30/EC, OJ L 123 E of 17/05/2003, p. 42-46
COM(2003)410 of 24/07/2002
Regulation EC No. 1382/2003, OJ L 196 of 02.08.2003, p. 1-6
Regulation 1782/2003, OJ L 270 of 21.10.2003, p. 1
Regulation 1783/2003, OJ L 270 of 21.10.2003, p. 70
COM (2003) 492 of 11/08/2003

17

                                                
5.

EMISSION TARGETS AND REDUCTIONS OF ACCESSION COUNTRIES

The GHG emissions and projections of Accession and Candidate Countries are listed for the
base  year,  for  2001  and  for  2010,  in  Table  4.  Accession  Countries  are  not  part  of  the  EC’s
burden sharing agreement. Instead, most of them are subject to individual –8 % Kyoto targets,
except Hungary and Poland which both have a Kyoto target of –6 %. Cyprus and Malta do not
have any Kyoto target. Furthermore, these data reveal considerable gaps and therefore cannot
be  compared  directly  with  the  data  of  the  current  Member  States.  However,  an  aggregated
analysis has been performed in this section for information purposes so that the overall trends
in  these  10  Accession  and  Candidate  Countries  can  be  compared  with  the  trends  in  the  15
current Member States.

Except  for  Slovenia  and  Hungary,  the  Accession  Countries  will  achieve  emissions  by  2010
much below their Kyoto targets (EEA 2003,  chapter 4). Total  greenhouse  gas emissions for
these Accession and Candidate Countries declined by 36 % between the base year and 2001.
In 2001, the distance-to-target indicator for the whole region was about 32 index points below
the hypothetical linear path from 1990 towards the target in 2010 (Figure 3). The performance
of  the  Accession  and  Candidate  Countries,  however,  varies  considerably  (Table  4).  Nine
countries were below their Kyoto target path, with distance-to-target indicators ranging from
–14 percentage points in Hungary to –56 in Latvia. Only Slovenia was above its target path,
with +6 percentage points (cf. EEA 2003, Chapter 4).

The projections of GHG emissions of Accession and Candidate Countries presented in Figure
4 are based on the Third National Communication submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat from
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia by June
2003.  All  of  these  countries  except  for  two  had  presented  “with  additional  measures”
projections. On the basis of these projections, Slovenia does not expect to reach its individual
Kyoto  target  while  Latvia  and  Estonia  expect  to  have  an  over-achievement  of  their  Kyoto
target  of  more  than  50  %.  The  legislation  implemented  in  the  Accession  Countries  for
reducing GHG emissions arises from harmonising the national legislation with EC legislation.
Key areas are energy use and waste management (cf. EEA 2003, Chapter 4.3).

18

Figure 3:
Protocol of 10 Accession Countries

Distance-to-target indicators in 2001 (in percentage points) for the  Kyoto

AC10

Latvia

Lithuania

Estonia

Bulgaria

Romania

Poland

Slovakia

Czech Republic

Hungary

Slovenia

-56.4

-56.3

(cid:1)

-31.7

-51.0

-46.2

-39.4

-28.9

-26.2

-18.6

-14.4

(cid:2)

6.0

- 70

- 60

- 50

- 40

- 30

- 20

- 10

0

+ 10

+ 20

Percent points below (-) or above (+) linear target path

Note: Bulgaria 1999, Hungary 2000, Lithuania 1998, Slovenia 1996 did not report the complete time series. For
missing  years  the  values  were  interpolated  (in  the  middle  of  series)  or  data  from  the  last  submitted  year  were
used. Cyprus and Malta are not included as they have no Kyoto target.

Source: EEA, 2003

Table 4: Actual and projected GHG emissions in Accession Countries

GHG emissions base year

Actual GHG
emissions 2001

(Mt CO2-eq)

base year

(Mt CO2-eq)

Projected GHG emissions 2010

With existing
measures
(Mt CO2-eq)

With additional
measures
(Mt CO2-eq)

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Estonia

Hungary

Latvia

Lithuania

Poland

Romania

Slovakia

Slovenia

157.7

192.1

43.5

1988

1990

1990

102.6

ave. 1985-87

29.0

51.5

565.3

264.8

72.2

19.9

1990

1990

1988

1989

1990

1986

125.5

125.3

17.4

133.7

131.7

18.9

95.6

12.8

394.0

372.0

53.2

22.1

48.2

19.9

77.7

148.0

19.4

84.3

11.4

20.2

382.8

148.3

50.1

20.2

19

Figure  4:  Relative  gap  (over-delivery  or  shortfall)  between  projections  and  targets  for
2010 for Accession Countries

Latvia

Estonia

Czech Republic (base 
development)

Slovakia

Czech Republic (high economic 
growth)

Poland

Bulgaria

Hungary

Slovenia

- 60

- 50

- 40

- 30

- 20

- 10

0

+ 10

+ 20

Percent points over-delivery (-) or short-fall (+) of respective emission target

Gap with existing policies and measures

Gap with existing and additional policies and measures

20

GLOSSARY AND ABBREVIATIONS

Actual progress

BAT

CCPM

CDM

CH4

CO2

ECCP

EEA

EEA, 2003

Actual  progress  is  assessed  by  the  comparison  of  base  year
inventories  with  the  latest  available  inventories  to  establish
actual  trends  of  emissions  and  by  a  comparison  with
emission  objectives  at  Member  State  and  Community  level.
The evaluation is based on  emission inventories of Member
States and the Community.

Best available technology

Common and co-ordinated policies and measures at EU level

Clean Development Mechanism

Methane

Carbon dioxide

European Climate Change Programme, a programme whose
goal is to identify and develop all the necessary elements of
an EU strategy to implement the Kyoto Protocol

European Environment Agency

Report  Greenhouse  gas  emission  trends  and  projections
from EEA in 2003, used as background paper for this report

EC

European Community

EC Burden Sharing Agreement

GHG

HFC

IPCC

JI

The  Kyoto  Protocol  to  the  UNFCCC  sets  different  binding
emission  targets  for  a  number  of  Parties  including  the
European  Community  (EC).  The  EC  agreed  to  reduce  its
greenhouse gas emissions by 8 % by 2008-2012, from 1990
levels.  This  overall  target  has  been  distributed  on  a
differentiated basis to individual Member States according to
Council Decision 2002/358/EC.

Greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol

Hydrofluorocarbons

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Joint Implementation

LULUCF

Land-use, land use change and forestry

21

Monitoring mechanism

N2O

PFC

Projected progress

SF6

Sinks

Source

The  monitoring  mechanism  is  an  instrument  to  assess
accurately  and  regularly  the  extent  of  progress  being  made
towards  the  Community’s  commitments  under  the  UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and
the Kyoto Protocol

Nitrous oxide

Perfluorocarbons

Projected progress is assessed by the evaluation of additional
(planned, or currently in discussion) policies and measures at
both national and Community level and by a  comparison of
projected  emissions  in  2010  with  emission  objectives  at
Member  State  and  Community  level.  This  evaluation  is
based  on  emission  projections  of  Member  States  and  the
Community

Sulphur hexafluoride

Means any process, activity or mechanism which removes a
greenhouse  gas,  an  aerosol  or  a  precursor  of  a  green-house
gas from the atmosphere

Means any process or  activity which releases a  green-house
gas,  an  aerosol  or  a  precursor  of  a  greenhouse  gas  into  the
atmosphere

UNFCCC

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

22