BRUSSELS, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union members endorsed a new target late Thursday to cut the bloc's greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from the 1990 level by 2020.

    "After the broad-ranging debate, we reached an agreement about the general reduction objective," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

    In January, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, proposed in the 27-nation bloc should unilaterally commit itself to a new target of reducing its dioxide emissions by 20 percent in 2020 compared to 1990. The commission said if other international major polluters like the United States join in, the EU would support a higher target of 30 percent.

    "We will put us in the position to make it clear to the international community that Europe is playing a pioneering role," Merkel said. "We have to urge our partners outside Europe (and) inspire them to pursue similarly ambitious goals."

    Germany, which is presiding over both the EU and the G-8, is planning to present the result to leaders from the world's eight most industrialized countries for discussion, with a view to establishing a new international emission regime when the Kyodo Protocol expires in 2012.

    Climate change was high on the agenda when leaders from the 27 EU member states kicked off their two-day Spring Summit Thursday, which usually focuses on economic matters.