Luxembourg's PM Jean-Claude Juncker, Dutch PM Jan Peter Balkenende and Slovakian PM Robert Fico listen to French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the taking of a family photo at a two-day EU leaders summit in Brussels March 8, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Group photos  Photo Gallery>>>

    BRUSSELS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- European Union (EU) heads of state and government on Friday agreed to set a binding target for the share of renewables in the bloc's energy mix.

    They agreed at their spring summit to increase the share of renewables to 20 percent by 2020 from 6.5 percent at present.

    The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, has yet to propose individual national reduction plans.

    "This text really gives European Union policies a new quality and will establish us as a world pioneer," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a press conference.

    The leaders also endorsed plans to unilaterally cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels.

    They agreed to increase the share of biofuels in transport sector to 10 percent by 2020.

Major measures agreed at EU summit on climate change

    BRUSSELS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the 27-member European Union (EU) Friday agreed on a series of measures on energy and climate change during their two-day summit. The following are the major points of the agreed measures:

    -- 30 percent greenhouse gas reduction target for developed countries by 2020;

    -- At least 20 percent greenhouse gas reduction target for EU by 2020;

    -- Greater separation of energy generation and distribution;

    -- Strong independent regulation with cross border perspective;

    -- Community mechanism for Transmission System Operators;

    -- Appoint coordinators to speed up interconnections;

    -- 20 percent energy efficiency saving by 2020;

    -- 20 percent 2020 binding target for renewables;

    -- 10 percent 2020 binding target for biofuels;

    -- Set up 12 large scale demonstrations of sustainable fuel technologies by 2015;

    -- Take forward possibility of carbon capture and storage by 2020;

    -- Create a high level group on nuclear safety;

    -- Present a strategic energy review every two years;

    -- EU-Africa energy partnership;

    -- Create energy observatory in the EU Commission.