The 15 "old" members of the European Union were on track to achieve agreed targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto treaty, the Copenhagen-based European Environment Agency said Tuesday, according to dpa. After reviewing projections by the 15 EU states who were members before the 2004 enlargement, the agency said they could "meet, and may even over-shoot" the 2012 Kyoto target "if member states implement existing and additional measures fully and quickly, and make use of carbon sinks and Kyoto mechanisms." Measures include emission trading schemes and introduction of bio- fuels in the transport sector as well as using more renewable energy. The EU-15 were committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8 per cent during 2008 to 2012. Between 1990 and 2005, greenhouse gas emissions in the EU-27 decreased 7.9 per cent, the EEA said, adding they were projected to remain at roughly 2005 levels by 2010. The agency noted that "as in 2006, Spain, Denmark and Italy are currently not on track to meet their individual targets." The European Environment Agency groups 32 states, including the current 27 EU members. The full report, Greenhouse Gas Emission Trends and Projections in Europe 2007, was available on eea.europa.eu.
