EU ministers stated that they are unlikely to increase their carbon emissions reduction target from 20 percent to 30 percent unless other countries demonstrate a greater willingness to do the same. The EU's current goal is to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels in the next decade, with a promise to deepen the cuts to 30 percent if other nations make similar commitments. The United Nations has set a deadline of January 31 for countries to pledge to reduce emissions, but the EU does not see any indication that major economies will set equivalent targets by that time. Spanish Secretary of State for Climate Change Teresa Ribera stated that it is probably not feasible to increase the target. The decision was widely anticipated as the EU, responsible for approximately 14 percent of global CO2 emissions, aims to take the lead in climate negotiations despite being sidelined at the previous year's conference in Copenhagen. Environmentalists had urged the EU to set a more ambitious target to set an example. The EU is open to considering a 30 percent reduction in emissions in the future if it receives concessions from other countries. Connie Hedegaard, the nominee for European climate commissioner, expressed hope that the EU's conditions for increasing the target would be met before the upcoming meeting in Mexico later this year. Before the Copenhagen talks, the United Nations had requested that affluent countries reduce emissions by 25-40 percent by 2020 so that the average increase in global temperatures would remain below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.