European leaders applauded successful efforts by German chancellor Angela Merkel, current head of the European Union and a physicist, to guide the 27-member bloc in March to an agreement that is widely considered both a critical and impressive step in the battle against climate change.
“This was the most significant European Council [meeting] in which I have participated in terms of the consequences of our conclusions,” said José Barroso, president of the European Commission, the EU's executive body, at a 9 March televised press conference following the conclusion of the two-day European Council meeting. “Europe has shown that it is possible to make important, ambitious decisions.”
Under the pact, achieved after months of negotiations, the EU will cut greenhouse gas emissions by one-fifth from 1990 levels and produce one-fifth of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. As part of the plan, the EU also set a 10% minimum target...
