BBC News
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image captionPoland s coal-fired Belchatow power station is among the EU s big polluters
EU leaders have agreed on a more ambitious goal for cutting greenhouse gases - reducing them by 55% by 2030, rather than 40%.
The new target was reached after difficult all-night talks in Brussels.
Poland, heavily reliant on coal, won a pledge of EU funding to help it transition to clean energy.
The EU Commission will draw up detailed plans for all 27 member states to contribute to the 55% target, measured against 1990 CO2 emission levels.
EU Council President Charles Michel hailed the agreement, tweeting Europe is the leader in the fight against climate change .
Ursula von der Leyen, who is president of the European Commission, the EU s executive arm, said the target puts us on a clear path towards climate neutrality in 2050.
The EU s adoption of the 55% target comes ahead of a Climate Ambition Summit this weekend which will be co-hosted by the United Nations, the U.K. and France, in partnership with Italy and Chile.
The EU s revised 2030 goal now requires a green light from the European Parliament, a directly elected law-making body that has called for a 60% emissions cut by the end of this decade.
Work to be done?
Among those reacting to the news was Jytte Guteland, an MEP and the European Parliament s rapporteur on the European Climate Law.
European Union leaders on Friday announced they had agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 55 percent by 2030 after negotiations that lasted all night at the summit of 27 member states in Brussels.
Leaders of the 27 member states agreed to cut their net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030, substantially toughening an existing 40% target.
L UE conclut un accord difficile sur l objectif climatique pour 2030 euractiv.fr - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from euractiv.fr Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.