The European Union (EU) is facing window opportunities given by the world's major economies who have announced emissions cut targets in accordance with the Paris Agreement, Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
"There is now a window of opportunity in our climate policy ambitions; we will be moving towards Joe Biden," said Altmaier at a press conference following a meeting of the EU energy ministers.
Under the current U.S. administration, Washington withdrew from the Paris Agreement, which sets goals for signatories to cut down their greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change.
Biden, the U.S. president-elect, has said several times that the United States will readopt the agreement after he takes office in January 2021.
There is also a window of opportunity with China, "which we will be fully using," Altmaier said, referring to China's announcement in October that it would speed up reduction in emissions and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.
Japan and South Korea have also followed suit, pledging to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, a goal shared by the EU, mentioned Altmaier.
The minister emphasized that the EU should utilize the opportunity to implement the bloc's new hydrogen strategy, which has been adopted by the EU Council under the German presidency.
"We are about to move into a global hydrogen economy," said Altmaier, adding that international cooperation will be needed to facilitate a global network of producing and transporting renewable energy.
The EU will use next few months to strengthen its role in global talks, he said. "We have made one important step forward. We want to achieve success."
EU leaders reached an agreement on Friday to cut the bloc's greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55 percent by the end of 2030 compared with the 1990 level.