European Union (EU) Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (C), EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs (L) and EU Environment Commissioner Stravros Dimas attend a press conference on energy and climate change at the EU headquarters in Brussels, capital of Belgium, Jan. 10, 2007. The EU Commission was launching a new plan for a common energy policy on Wednesday. (Xinhua Photo/Xu Jinquan) Photo Gallery >>>

    BRUSSELS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) called on Wednesday for more efforts in the EU and worldwide to tackle global warming, particularly in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

    In a proposal which needs to be approved by EU governments and the European Parliament, the European Commission said the EU should adopt an objective in international negotiations of an average 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by developed countries below 1990 levels by 2020.

    To encourage the attainment of a new international agreement after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, the EU should take the lead by committing autonomously to reduce its own emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020.

    If a satisfactory global agreement can be reached, the cut could be increased to 30 percent, said the paper, which is aimed at limiting global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius than pre-industrial times to prevent massive and irreversible disruption of the global climate system.

    To meet the goal, worldwide emissions will need to be cut by upto half compared to 1990 by 2050, said the paper, which is a key element of the EU executive's new energy and climate change strategy.

    European Commission President Jose Manual Barroso said he had received encouraging comments about the emissions control from United States President George Bush when he visited the White House earlier this week.

    "Global warming is not European warming... we have to work together to fight the battle," he said while unveiling the comprehensive package Wednesday.

    While developed countries should continue to shoulder most of the global effort to reduce emissions over the next decade or so, developing countries, the emissions of which will surpass the developed world in not too distant future, should also be involved in the global effort, the paper said.