The European Union continues to maintain its stance that the UN talks in Bali should establish strict guidelines for wealthy nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, despite opposition from the US. European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas reiterated the EU's insistence on including a target for emissions reductions for developed countries by 2020. However, the EU did not specifically mention their previous demand for cuts of 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels. A compromise draft text was proposed at the Dec. 3-14 meeting, which aims to kickstart negotiations for a global agreement to combat climate change. This draft dropped the ambitious goal of significant emissions cuts by 2020 for rich countries, but still included a target to halve global emissions by 2050.