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March 2007: EU leaders agree to cut emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to 1990, but by 30% if other countries join in. At the same summit they also vow to increase the share of renewable energy to 20% by 2020.
December 2008: The EU ‘climate and energy package', a series of laws setting national climate targets, reforming the emissions-trading scheme, promoting renewable energy, is agreed by the European Council.
11 December 2009: The EU finesses its negotiating tactics for the Copenhagen climate conference, which is already underway, setting out conditions that need to be met before it goes to 30%.
18/19 December 2009: The Copenhagen Accord emerges from the UN climate conference. In the two-and-a-half page text, countries that produce 80% of the world's emissions agree to take steps to limit global warming to 2ºC. Steps to do this are not spelled out and countries are asked to send their targets to the UN by 31 January.
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