Communication from the Commission - Fifth National Communication from the European Community under the UN framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (required under Article 12 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) {SEC(2009)1652}
Date: 2009-12-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy, EU research policy, UN convention, climate change, cooperation policy, developing countries, energy consumption, exchange of information, greenhouse gas, public awareness campaign, reduction of gas emissions, renewable energy

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 3.12.2009 
COM(2009)667 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

FIFTH NATIONAL COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY 
UNDER THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE 
(UNFCCC) 

(required under Article 12 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 
Change) 

{SEC(2009)1652} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

1.3. 

1.4. 

1.5. 

1.6. 

1.7. 

1.8. 

Executive summary...................................................................................................... 3 

National Circumstances ............................................................................................... 4 

Inventory ...................................................................................................................... 6 

Policies and Measures .................................................................................................. 6 

Projections.................................................................................................................... 7 

Impacts, vulnerability and adaptation ........................................................................ 10 

Financial resources and transfer of technology.......................................................... 11 

Research and systematic observation......................................................................... 12 

Education, training and public awareness.................................................................. 13 

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1. 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

This is the 5th National Communication of the European Community (EC) under Article 12 of 
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).  

The EC and its 27 Member States, both individually and jointly, have been active on action 
against climate change now for a number of years. This action took a significant step forward 
in 2008, when an integrated and ambitious package of policies and measures to tackle energy 
and  climate  change  was  agreed  for  the  EC.  The  package  contains  proposals  covering: 
renewable energy, the emissions trading scheme (EU ETS), shared efforts of Member States 
to  reduce  emissions  from  sectors  outside  the  EU  ETS,  and  geological  storage  of  carbon 
dioxide  and  sets  specific  targets  for  2020.  The  package  also  contains  a  legally  binding 
commitment to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 20 % compared to 1990 levels by 
2020. At the same  time as  the  energy and climate change package was agreed, a regulation 
setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars was passed, and an obligation 
was agreed for fossil fuel suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their entire fuel 
production chain. Other important recent developments are the inclusion of aviation activities 
into  the  EU  ETS  and  a  new  directive  to  promote  clean  and  energy-efficient  road  transport 
vehicles. 

The EC is active in implementing policies and in continuously developing new ones to meet 
the  changing  circumstances.  These  policy  developments  are  supported  by  research  on  the 
climate system, the understanding of the impacts of climate change and the identification of 
options for mitigation and adaptation. A set of projects focuses on technologies and strategies 
to reduce GHG emissions from specific economic sectors, such as energy and transport.  

The policies already in place are having an effect, for example, since 2003, EU-27 per capita 
energy consumption has declined slowly. In the period 1990-2007, greenhouse gas emissions 
also decreased. Primary energy intensity has continued a downward trend since 1996. The use 
of renewable forms of energy has also increased substantially.  

With existing measures and the use of Kyoto mechanisms the EU-15 is expected to meet its 
Kyoto  target.  Moving  forward  to  2020;  with  existing  measures  EU-15  projected  emissions 
(excluding LULUCF1) are expected to plateau at around 2010 levels, whilst EU-27 emissions 
as  a  whole  are  expected  to  decrease  slightly  before  returning  to  2005  levels  by  2020. 
However, with additional measures in place it is projected that EU-27 emissions will continue 
to  decrease  steadily  to  2020,  a  reduction  of  15  %  compared  to  1990  levels  (although  many 
Member State projections do not yet account for the full impact of the newly proposed climate 
policies). 

Concerning  LULUCF,  data  available  from  twenty  Member  States  show  that  net  removals 
generally  increased  over  the  period  1990  to  2007.  However,  the  net  uptake  of  carbon  from 
LULUCF is expected to decrease rapidly up to 2020, returning to 1990 levels. Therefore, net 
GHG emissions from LULUCF may increase up to 2020.  

While  reducing  emissions  of  greenhouse  gases  is  of  paramount  importance  to  avoid 
dangerous climate change, the EC also recognises that some impacts are unavoidable because 

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Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry 

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of past emissions. The EC has therefore undertaken research and taken action to understand 
these impacts, develop adaptation responses and assist developing countries in strengthening 
their capacity to cope with climate change. This action includes a more coordinated approach 
on policy development through a White Paper to define the policy direction of the EC in the 
forthcoming years.  

As well as action domestically on climate change, the EC is strongly committed to assisting 
developing countries in the fight against poverty and the achievement of the UN Millennium 
Development  Goals.  Combating  climate  change  forms  an  integral  part  of  this  agenda.  In 
recent years specific cooperation on climate change has been strengthened significantly across 
a  range  of  different  frameworks.  EC  financial  contributions  related  to  climate  change  have 
steadily increased over the last few years. 

The  importance  of  public  awareness  and  education  and  training  on  climate  change  is 
recognized  by  the  EC.  As  part  of  the  preparation  of  this  Communication  a  6  week 
consultation was held, inviting feedback  from European organisations with a relationship to 
the  climate  change  agenda.  This  feedback  helped  improve  the  presentation  of  certain 
information  in  this  Communication.  In  addition,  a  range  of  views  were  given  on  the  recent 
progress of EU climate policy. Whilst these were largely positive, particularly with respect to 
the recent Energy  and Climate package,  they  also  raised  some  concerns  and  indicated  areas 
where stakeholders felt further action is needed.  

Moving  beyond  2012,  the  EC’s  agreed  objective  is  to  limit  the  average  global  temperature 
increase  to  less  than  2oC  compared  to  pre-industrial  levels.  If  current  emission  trends 
continue, this threshold may already be crossed in 2050. Significant adaptation efforts will be 
required even if global average temperature increase is kept below 2oC.  

The  EC  believes  that  there  are  three  key  challenges  to  achieving  this:  targets  and  actions; 
financing;  and  building  an  effective  global  carbon  market.  The  post-2012  international 
agreement  must  be  sufficiently  ambitious  and  comprehensive,  providing  for  comparable 
reductions  by  all  developed  countries,  and  including  appropriate  action  by  developing 
countries to limit emissions. If such an agreement is secured the EC has a firm commitment to 
increase its reduction target to 30 % from the binding 20 % target that is already in place. 

1.1. 

National Circumstances 

Population 

•  The  EU  now  comprises  27  Member  States  following  the  accession  of  Bulgaria 
and  Romania  on  1st  January  2007.  The  EU-27’s  population  has  continued  to 
grow,  at  around  0.3  %  per  annum,  a  similar  trend  as  in  the  4th  National 
Communication (NC). 

Economy 

•  EU-27  GDP  has  grown  steadily  (at  around  2.3  %  from  1995-2007),  driven 

primarily by strong growth in the services sector. 

Energy 

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•  Total primary and final energy consumption grew over the period from 1990-2007 

(around 0.5 % per annum), although this has stabilized in recent years. 

•  The trend reported in the 4th NC of a shift in the primary fuel mix from coal to gas 
has continued. However, the rate of growth in renewables (driven largely by wind 
and biomass) has increased from 2002 onwards.  

•  The EU’s dependence on imported fossil fuels has increased more rapidly in the 

period since the 4th NC, leading to concerns about energy security. 

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Transport 

•  The  rise  in  final  energy  consumption  has  been  driven  to  a  large  extent  by 

continued growth in demand for energy in transport. 

•  Both  freight  and  passenger transport  has continued to grow strongly since 1990. 
Growth  in  passenger  transport  is  beginning  to  show  a  slight  decoupling  from 
economic growth. 

Land-use, agriculture and forestry 

•  In  general  the  share  of  land  used  for  agriculture  has  declined  in  most  Member 
States by around 10 % from 1990 to 2005. Forested area (excluding other wooded 
land) has increased by around 8 % over the same period. 

1.2. 

Inventory 

•  Total GHG emissions in the EU-27 (without LULUCF) decreased by 9.3 % from 
1990  to  2007.  In  the  EU-15  total  GHG  emissions  decreased  by  4.3 %  over  the 
same period. In both EU-27 and EU-15 the biggest relative change has been in the 
waste  sector  where  the  emissions  of  CH4  from  managed  solid  waste  landfills 
decreased substantially. 

•  Averaged  over  the  latest  five  years,  EU-15  emissions  (without  LULUCF)  were 

3.1 % below their base year level. 

•  Emissions of total greenhouse gases decreased by 1.2 % in the EU-27 and 1.6 % 
in the EU-15 in 2007 compared with 2006. This was largely due to the reduction 
in CO2 emissions from the household and service sectors, because of the warmer 
weather  conditions  in  2007  compared  to  the  previous  year  and  due  to  shifts  in 
types  of  fuel  purchased  (from  2007  to  2006  and  2008)  because  of  fuel  price 
variations. 

1.3. 

Policies and Measures 

•  Many existing EC-level policies and measures are being strengthened to meet the 

goals from the integrated package on energy and climate change. 

•  The EC has made a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 
20 % compared to 1990 by 2020, with a firm commitment to increase this target 
to 30 % in the event of a satisfactory international agreement being reached. 

•  The  EC  has  committed  to  supplying  20  %  of  total  EU  gross  final  energy 
consumption from renewable sources (including electricity, heat and transport) by 
2020,  supplemented  by  a  target  requiring  the  share  of  energy  from  renewable 
sources in all forms of transport in 2020 to be at least 10 % of final consumption 
of energy in transport. 

•  The EC has committed to a 20 % reduction of total primary energy consumption 

by 2020, compared to a Business as Usual baseline. 

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•  The  EU  Emissions  Trading  Scheme  is  now  into  its  second  phase  (2008-2012), 
strengthened by lessons learned from the first (2005-2007). Further strengthening 
and expansion is planned for Phase III, including the incorporation of the aviation 
sector into the scheme (already from 2012). 

•  Recent developments include also  new legislation concerning reduction of GHG 
emissions from sectors not covered by the EU ETS, carbon capture and storage, 
emission  performance  standards  for  new  passenger  cars,  production  of  transport 
fuels and energy-efficient road transport vehicles. 

•  A  successful  conclusion  to  the  international  climate  change  negotiations  at 

Copenhagen in December 2009 is a key priority for the EC. 

1.4. 

Projections 

•  Under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU-15 has adopted a target to reduce emissions by 
8  %  on  average  between  2008  and  2012,  compared  to  base-year  emissions. 
Emissions  of  GHG  in  the  EU-15  are  projected  to  be  7.5  %  below  base  year 
emissions  in  2010  (existing  measures  reduce  emissions  by  320  Mt  against  base 
year  emissions  of  4266  Mt).  The  implementation  of  additional  measures  is 
projected to reduce EU-15 emissions to 9.2 below base year emissions (additional 
measures  reduce  emissions  by  a  further  73  Mt  against  base  year  emissions)  in 
2010.  EU-15  emissions  in  2010,  considering  the  expected  impact  of  domestic 
policies and measures, are therefore projected to be 1.2 percentage points below 
the Kyoto target in 2010.  

•  The intended use of flexible mechanisms by the EU Member States is expected to 
increase the projected emission rights for the EU-15 in the commitment period by 
a  further  2.2  %  against  base  year  emissions  to  94.2  %  (93  Mt),  while  use  of 
carbon  sinks  is  expected  to  increase  this  further  by  1.0  %  to  95.2  %  (42  Mt) 
against  base  year  emissions.  In  addition  the  acquisition  of  emission  credits 
stemming  from  flexible  mechanisms  by  the  EU  ETS  operators  is  expected  to 
increase the projected emission rights in the commitment period by a further 1.4 
% to 96.6 % (61.2 Mt) against base year emissions. 

Illustration  -  1  Greenhouse  gas  emissions  and  projections  in  the  EU-15  (excluding  LULUCF)  for  the  'with 
measures and 'with additional measures' scenarios, EU-15 1990 – 2020 

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100

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1990

Kyoto target + Kyoto Mechanisms + 
Carbon Sinks + EU ETS Effect = 96.6

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

Kyoto target (EU-15)

EU-15 emissions

Kyoto target + Kyoto Mechanisms (EU-15)

EU-15 existing measures

Kyoto target + Kyoto Mechanisms + carbon sinks (EU-15)

EU-15 additional measures

Kyoto target + Kyoto Mechanisms + carbon sinks + EUETS Effect (EU-15)

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Illustration  –  2  Greenhouse  gas  emissions  and  projections  in  the  EU-27  (excluding  LULUCF)  for  the  'with 
measures and 'with additional measures' scenarios 

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1995

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2005

2010

2015

2020

EU-27 emissions

EU-27 existing measures

EU-27 additional measures

EU27 2020 target

Note: The index on the vertical axis refers to the base year for the EU-15, that is 1990 emissions for CO2, CH4 
and N2O and 1995 emissions for the F gases (with the exception of Austria, France and Italy where the base year 
for F gases is 1990). This means that the value for 1990 is not exactly 100 for the EU-15. As the EU-27 does not 
have a collective Kyoto target and therefore no collective base year, the index on the vertical axis refers to 1990 
emissions for the EU-27. 

•  Considering Member States’ intended use of Kyoto mechanisms, carbon sinks and 
EU  ETS  effect,  in  addition  to  the  effect  of  domestic  measures,  the  EU-15  is 
expected to overshoot its target by 5.8 percentage points in 2010 (with emissions 
projected to be 3677 Mt). 

•  Emissions of GHG in the EU-27 are projected to be 9.7 % below 1990 levels in 
2010 as a result of implemented measures and 11.4 % below 1990 levels in 2010 
when planned measures are also considered.  

•  EU-27 emissions are currently  projected to be 6.4 % below 1990 levels in 2020 
under the “with existing measures” scenario and 14.3 % below 1990 levels under 
the  “with  additional  measures”  scenario,  compared  to  the  EU’s  target  to  reduce 
emissions by 20 % compared to 1990. However, most Member States (16) have 
not  yet  accounted  for  the  EU’s  2020  Climate  and  Energy  Package  in  their 
projections estimates. 

•  20  Member  States  have  not  considered  the  impact  of  the  financial  crisis  in  their 

latest projections estimates.  

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1.5. 

Impacts, vulnerability and adaptation 

•  Since  the  4th  National  Communication,  there  has  been  much  progress  on 
assessing  the  impacts  of  climate  change  and  developing  adaptation  policy  in 
Europe.  

•  The  Fourth  Assessment  Report  (4AR)  of  Intergovernmental  Panel  on  Climate 
Change (IPCC) issued in 2007 provided conclusive evidence that climate change 
is caused by man made emissions of greenhouse gases and provided new impetus 
to  climate  change  research  and  policy  development  in  Europe.  European 
researchers  have  made  a  significant  contribution  to  this  effort  by  supporting  the 
process and providing new scientific evidence that has fed in to the assessment.  

•  Since  the  IPCC  4AR  publication,  greater  rates  of  change  have  been  observed. 
Reports  by  the  European  Environment  Agency  (EEA),  the  EC  Joint  Research 
Centre  (JRC-IES)  and  EC  funded  projects  from  the  Framework  Programme  for 
Research  have  provided  new  evidence  that  climate  change  will  have  significant 
implications  across Europe and beyond. A  number of new research programmes 
are being funded to improve our understanding of adaptation.  

•  The EC has adopted a more coordinated approach on policy development and has 
published  a  White  Paper  on  adaptation  to  climate  change  to  define  the  policy 
direction of the EC in the forthcoming years. The EC is currently working on the 
design  of  an  Adaptation  Framework  to  reduce  the  EU's  vulnerability  to  the 
impacts  of  climate  change.  This  framework  will  complement  and  strengthen  the 
actions  taken  by  the  EU  Member  States.  The  White  Paper  on  Adaptation  was 
released in April 2009. 

•  The  EC has  advanced a number of  initiatives to support developing  countries in 
their efforts to adapt to climate change. For instance, the Global Climate Change 
Alliance, launched in 2007 to deepen cooperation between the EC and developing 
countries,  renews  the  EC’s  commitment  to  mainstream  climate  change  into 
development  cooperation  and  provides  technical  and  financial  support  for 
adaptation in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing 
States (SIDS). 

•  The  European  Commission  is  developing  a  European  “Clearing  house”  of  the 
most  up-to-date  and  state-of-the-art  information  -  an  IT  tool  and  database  on 
climate change impact, vulnerability and best practices on adaptation. 

•  Adaptation  to  climate  change  is  hampered  by  large  uncertainties  in  the  future 
climatic  conditions  –  precipitation,  sunshine,  temperature  –  at  a  local  level.  A 
long-term sustainable system for observing the planet is a necessary condition for 
reducing these uncertainties. The EC is in the process of setting up such a system 

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through  the  Global  Monitoring  for  Environment  and  Security  initiative2  and  the 
European Marine Observation and Data Network3 

1.6. 

Financial resources and transfer of technology 

•  Since the 4th National Communication, more accurate and detailed categorisation 
of  the  nature  of  climate  change  projects  have  been  used  to  provide  a  clearer 
picture of the level of financial contributions dedicated to different climate change 
activities,  with  increased  use  of  the  Rio  Markers  to  identify  the  climate  change 
element in projects. 

•  EC  financial  contributions4  from  external  cooperation  programme  development 
projects related to climate change in developing countries have steadily increased 
from €160 million in 2004 to €318 million in 2007 5. These projects are not Clean 
Development Mechanism projects. 

•  The  importance  of  actions  on  adaptation  to  climate  change  has  continuously 
grown, as indicated by the increasing financial resources6 committed to this area. 

•  The  Communication  'Stepping  up  international  climate  finance:  A  European 
blueprint  for  the  Copenhagen  deal',  adopted  on  10th  September  2009  presents  a 
blueprint for scaling up international finance to help developing countries combat 
climate  change.  It  recognises  that  the  financing  issue  is  central  to  prospects  for 
reaching an ambitious agreement in Copenhagen. 

•  There  are  a  number  of  new  financial  mechanisms  and  initiatives  to  support  this 
increased  focus  on  climate  change,  such  as  the  Global  Energy  Efficiency  and 
Renewable  Energy  Fund  (GEEREF),  the  Global  Climate  Change  Alliance 
(GGCA)  and  the  EU-ACP  Energy  Facility,  the  latter  of  which  has  a  different 
scope but contributes equally significantly to the fight against climate change. 

•  Climate  change  kept  a  prominent  role  within  the  (7th)  European  Framework 
Programme  for  Research,  including  a  number  of  initiatives  and  projects  having 
the  specific  objective  of  assisting  developing  countries  with  climate  change 
related issues. Institutions from non-Annex I Parties benefited from €19.3 million 
of EC funding for research activities since 2004. 

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Global  Monitoring  for  Environment  and  Security  (GMES):  we  care  for  a  safer  planet  Brussels, 
12.11.2008, COM(2008) 748 final 
Building  a  European  marine  knowledge  infrastructure:  Roadmap  for  a  European  Marine  Observation 
and Data Network, SEC (2009) 499 (final), 4th April 2009 
From funding from European Commission - DG AIDCO project database.  
These  figures  include  funds  directed  to  three  (Russia,  Ukraine  and  Turkey)  Annex  I  countries  (UNFCCC),  where  an  EU 
instrument covers both non-Annex 1 and Annex 1 countries. For 2004, this amounts to €3.95m, for 2005 it amounts to €2.8m, for 
2006 it amounts to €4.3m and for 2007, it amounts to €22m
These figures represent the projects that are adaptation specific and do not include mitigation projects 
that  also  have  an  element  of  adaptation.  Consequently,  the  total  figure  for  all  adaptation  activities  is 
likely to be higher.  

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1.7. 

Research and systematic observation 

•  Since  the  4th  National  Communication,  there  have  been  key  developments  in 
climate  change  research  at  the  EC  level,  particularly  in  the  7th  Framework 
Programme (FP7) for Research and Technological Development which started in 
2007: 

•  The  total  budget  of  FP7  amounts  to  €50.52  billion  over  the  period  (2007-2013) 

which represents an increase of 65 % compared to FP6 budget in average annual 
terms. The structure of FP7 is larger and more integrated, with four main areas – 
“Cooperation”,  “People”,  “Ideas”,  and  “Capacities”  (with  a  fifth,  Euratom  €2.75 
billion,  dedicated  to  nuclear  research).  Sustainable  development  has  been 
mainstreamed as a component and objective of all EC research. 

•  The  main  area  ,  “Cooperation”  (64  %  of  FP7  budget),  consists  of  ten  themes, 
comprising  “Environment  (including  climate  change)”7which  is  granted  €1.89 
billion over the period 2007-2013, and of which 14 % funded since 2007 is related 
to  climate  research  projects.  on  the  climate  system,  the  understanding  of  the 
impacts  of  climate  change  and  the  identification  of  options  for  mitigation  and 
adaptation.  

•  Research  projects  funded  in  themes  such  as  Space  and  Global  Monitoring  for 
Environment and Security (GMES), Energy, Transport, Agriculture and Fisheries 
in  the  "Cooperation"  component  of  FP7  contribute  to  research  on  the  climate 
system, the understanding of the impacts of climate change and the identification 
of  options  for  mitigation  and  adaption.  Additional  climate  relevant  research 
projects  are  granted  in  the  “People”,  “Ideas”,  and  “Capacities”  components  of 
FP7.  Since  2003,  expenditures  on  climate  research  in  the  EC  Framework 
Programme are estimated to nearly €570 million. 

•  Research  projects  funded  in  the  areas  of  GMES  (€1.43  billion  in  FP7),  Energy 
(€2.35 billion), Transport (€4.16 billion), Ag riculture and Fisheries (€1.93 billion) 
are  instrumental  to  supporting  research  relevant  to  the  implementation  of 
mitigation  and  adaptation  measures  including  the  development  of  relevant 
technologies. A large proportion of the research undertaken in those areas relates 
the reduction of GHG emissions. 

•  The  European  Union  has  adopted  a  strategic  plan  to  accelerate  the  development 
and deployment of cost-effective low carbon technologies through joint strategic 
planning and a more effective implementation of programmes.  

•  Under  the  Strategic  Energy  Technology  Plan  (SET-Plan),  adopted  in  2007, 
research into low-carbon technologies is focussed on those technologies that can 
best support achieving the EU's "20-20-20" targets (20 % more energy efficiency, 
20 % more renewables, 20 % less GHG emissions) by 2020. The SET-Plan calls 

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Under  FP6,  climate  change  research  was  funded  mainly  under  the  thematic  sub-priority  area 
“Sustainable  development,  global  change  and  ecosystems”.  Specific  measures  in  support  of 
"international cooperation" also supported a large number of international collaborations in relation to 
environmental  and  ecosystem  sustainability  and  food  security  issues  of  direct  relevance  to  climate 
change in developing countries.  

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primarily on FP7 ("Energy") funds. Beyond standard FP7 contributions, in 2009, 
research have additional approved 
wind (€565 million) and CCS (€1050 million) 
budget  under  the  European  Economic  Recovery  Plan,  to  be  used  by  end  2010. 
Further proposals for supplements to the SET-Plan funding are in the pipeline. 

•  Under  FP7,  a  new  tool  -  known  as  Joint  Technology  Initiatives  (JTIs)8  –  that 
combines private sector investment and/or national and European public funding 
has  been  introduced.  The  Clean  Sky,  and  Hydrogen  and  Fuel  Cell  JTIs  directly 
aim  at  reducing  GHG  emissions  in  aeronautic,  surface  transport  and  stationary 
applications. 

•  In  FP7  international  cooperation  has  been  mainstreamed,  with  any  third  country 
researcher or institution being able to participate in FP7 calls. In addition, under 
the  cooperation  programme, 
to 
international  cooperation.  So  far  about  6  %  of  all  participants  are  from  third 
countries, including developing countries. 

there  are  projects  dedicated  specifically 

•  Climate  research  undertaken  in  the  EC  Joint  Research  Centre  (total  budget  of 
€1.75  billion  in  FP7)  provided  support  EC  climate  change  policies  and 
enhancement of scientific knowledge on climate change. 

•  Last, the European Research Council (ERC) has been established, with the aim of 
encouraging groundbreaking science proposed by leading researchers themselves. 
ERC, which will effectively work as a national research council at the EC level, 
will also take responsibility for project implementation. 

1.8. 

Education, training and public awareness 

Major  developments  that  have  occurred  in  the  EC  since  the  4th  National  Communication 
include: 

•  Public awareness campaigns on climate change: 

•  Climate Change Campaign (2006-2009)  

•  Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign (2005-2011)  

•  Climate Action Campaign (2007-2009) 

•  Covenant of Mayors on energy and climate (2008 onwards) 

•  New  Lifelong  Learning  Programme  (2007-2012)  with  an  increasing  number  of 

education and training projects related to climate change 

•  Eurobarometer surveys on Europeans' attitudes towards climate change (2008 and 

2009) 

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The dedicated structures implementing the JTIs are independent legal entities, with a dedicated budget 
and staff. The European Commission is a founding member of each JTI and enjoys a veto right on a 
number of pre-defined items. 

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•  Eco Agents website for children (2008 onwards) 

•  Development  of  a  large  range  of  online  resources  and  tools  to  raise  public 

awareness and educate on climate change 

•  The European Institute of Innovation and technology (EIT) was created in 2009 to 
support  new  ways  of  creating  and  promoting  innovation  in  Europe.  Sustainable 
energy and climate change mitigation and adaptation are amongst EIT's priorities. 

The  full  text  of  the  EC's  5th  National  Communication  is  included  in  the  Staff  Working 
Document consisting of four volumes (Part 1, 2a, 2b and 3). 

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