The backbone of the European Commission's effort to implement the Kyoto Protocol is the "European Climate Change Programme" (EECP), which was launched in March 2000. The ECCP's goal is, with all the relevant stakeholders, to identify and develop cost-effective measures that will help the EU meet its 8% Kyoto target, complementing the efforts of the Member States. The development of the ECCP has involved all the relevant groups of stakeholders working together, including representatives from the Commission’s different departments (DGs), the Member States, industry and environmental groups. Since the ECCP was launched, more than 200 stakeholders have been involved in eleven different working groups.

The findings of the Second ECCP Progress Report issued in April 2003 suggest that plenty of cost-effective measures exist to meet the EU's Kyoto target.6 Forty-two potential emission reduction measures at a cost of less than €20 per tonne of CO2 equivalent have been identified with a total emission reduction potential of up to 700 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The emission reduction needed to meet the EU's Kyoto target is estimated at around 340 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

While the emissions trading scheme is the measure with most potential, the Council and the European Parliament have adopted several other initiatives, such as legislation to promote renewables in electricity production and bio-fuels in road transport, and legislation on the energy efficiency of buildings. Other measures have been proposed by the Commission, such as the Directive linking JI/CDM to the EU's emission trading system and a Directive to promote combined heat and power. Further proposals are in the pipeline, for example legislation on regulating fluorinated gases. The European Commission has also negotiated an agreement with all European, Japanese and Korean carmakers to cut average CO2 emissions of new cars in the order of 25% below 1995 levels by 2008/2009.

The ECCP’s initial work to develop further policies and measures focused on the energy, transport and industry sectors. Therefore, a number of working groups were set up to consider and give recommendations on the most important options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively.

The first task of the second phase of the ECCP is to facilitate and support the actual implementation of the priorities identified in the first phase. The ECCP Steering Committee is following up on progress made so far through the ECCP.