Smoke rises from a heat and power plant in Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 23, 2014.BRUSSELS - European Leaders have agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the 28-nation bloc to at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
The deal is aimed at countering climate change and setting an example for the rest of the world ahead of key international climate negotiations next year.
A package agreed by leaders at an EU summit in the early hours of Friday after lengthy negotiations also requires climate-friendly, renewable energy to provide at least 27 percent of the bloc's needs and demands that energy efficiency increase by at least 27 percent in the next 16 years.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy calls the deal "ambitious and balanced."