More efforts are needed if the European Union (EU) is to meet the greenhouse gas emission target set out by the Kyoto Protocol, said the European Commission, the EU's executive body, on Thursday.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the old 15 EU member states rose by 0.3 percent between 2003 and 2004, said the commission. The emissions stood 0.9 percent lower than in the base year (mostly 1990) even though the 15 countries recorded economic growth of 32 percent over the same period.

Nevertheless greater efforts are needed to reduce emissions to 8 percent below base-year levels for the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008-2012).

"To meet our emissions reduction target, member states need to intensify their efforts to implement the many EU measures to combat climate change that have been agreed over the past few years. With their new national allocation plans, due by the end of this month, member states now have a major opportunity to reverse unsustainable emission trends and ensure they will achieve their Kyoto targets," said Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas.

"It is very encouraging that we have broken the link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions, but this decoupling needs to be accelerated."

In 2004, emissions rose in 10 of the 15 EU member states and fell in the five others.

The increase was mainly due to higher carbon dioxide emissions from road transport, iron and steel production and oil refining, as well as increased emissions of hydrofluorocarbons from refrigeration and air conditioning.

Source: Xinhua