Under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU committed itself to reducing its greenhouse gases emissions by 8% during the first commitment period from 2008 to 2012. This target is shared between the Member States under a legally so-called binding “Burden Sharing Agreement”, which sets individual emissions targets for each Member State. The ten New Member States that joined the EU in May 2004 have also ratified the Kyoto Protocol, but with their own Kyoto targets between 6% and 8% (for example Hungary and Poland with a reduction commitment of –6%). Cyprus and Malta are treated as developing countries in the Kyoto Protocol and so do not have emission targets.
The EU greenhouse gas reduction targets in % are presented in the following figure:

Following figure shows the difference between the Kyoto targed and the already achieved emission reduction. Some Member States of the "old " EU 15 are far away from their target.