According to new assessments from the European Environment Agency (EEA), EU member states are showing mixed progress towards three climate and energy targets for 2020, even though the EU as a whole could reduce greenhouse gases emissions by 21% in 2020 with the set of national measures already adopted. The 20/20/20 triple objective, endorsed by the European Council in 2007 and implemented through the EU's 2009 climate and energy package and the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) (EU, 2012), focuses on a 20 % reduction of the EU's GHG emissions compared to 1990; a 20 % share of renewable energy in the EU's gross final energy consumption; and a 20 % increase of the EU's energy efficiency.
The 15 Member States with a common commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (EU-15) are estimated to have reduced emissions between 2008 and 2012 by 12.2 %, well beyond the 8 % target required under the Kyoto Protocol. Moreover, almost all European countries with an individual GHG limitation or reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol (26 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) are on track towards achieving their respective targets. This compares favourably to assessments in previous years. Six EU‑15 Member States (Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Sweden and the United Kingdom), all eleven of the EU‑13 (i.e. those joining after 2004) Member States with a Kyoto target as well as Iceland and Norway are on track to achieve their target through domestic reductions only. When removals from carbon sink activities are also taken into account, three additional EU‑15 Member States (Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia) are also on track towards their respective targets. To reach their Kyoto targets, nine Member States and Liechtenstein originally placed more emphasis on emission reductions in the non-ETS sectors (compared to 2005 levels), where domestic emission reductions are in general more costly to achieve compared to the ETS sectors. Two EU Member States do not have an individual target for 2008–2012.