European Union member states are discussing the extent to which they are prepared to combat climate change as they work towards implementing a potentially groundbreaking plan to reduce global warming. The draft statement, obtained by Reuters, proposes cutting EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020 compared to levels in 1990. However, the bloc is open to increasing this target to 30 percent if other industrialised nations also commit to reductions and economically advanced developing countries contribute as well. This proposal is expected to guide the EU's stance in negotiations for a global emissions reduction agreement post-2012, when the current period covered by the Kyoto Protocol ends. Despite this, Hungary and Poland, recent EU members, are against enforcing the 20 or 30 percent targets. Finland, Sweden, and Denmark have differing opinions on the EU target for emissions reduction, with Finland opposing a unilateral target and Sweden and Denmark advocating for a 30 percent reduction from the beginning. Some states are also interested in discussing the use of a different base year for calculating emissions cuts instead of 1990. Germany, currently holding the EU presidency, is working to reconcile these differences among ministers in order to gain unanimous support for the climate change strategy before a summit of EU leaders in March. The draft proposal suggests that EU states would agree to the 30 percent target only if other developed countries also commit to similar reductions and economically advanced developing countries make appropriate contributions. The statement emphasizes the need for a "differentiated approach" in distributing the requirements for meeting the EU target among the 27 member states. The Commission was urged to examine how the targets would be allocated, stressing the importance of a fair approach that considers national circumstances and the base years of the Kyoto Protocol. The 15 original EU member states have a joint target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by eight percent by 2012 compared to 1990 levels, with individual responsibilities outlined in a burden-sharing agreement.