L 140/136 Official Journal of the European Union 5.6.2009 DECISIONS ADOPTED JOINTLY BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL DECISION No 406/2009/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23 April 2009 on the effort of Member States to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to meet the Community’s greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments up to 2020 THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EURO- PEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Article 175(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), After consulting the Committee of the Regions, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (?), Whereas: (1) The ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was approved on behalf of the European Community by Coun- cil Decision 94/69/EC (3), is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would pre- vent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the cli- mate system. (2)  The view of the Community, most recently expressed, in particular, by the European Council of March 2007, is that in order to meet this objective, the overall global annual mean surface temperature increase should not exceed 2 °C above pre-industrial levels , which implies that global (1) OJ C 27, 3.2.2009, p. 71. (%) Opinion of the European Parliament of 17 December 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 6 April 2009. () OJL 33, 7.2.1994, p. 11. greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced to at least 50 % below 1990 levels by 2050. The Community’s green- house gas emissions covered by this Decision should con- tinue to decrease beyond 2020 as part of the Community’s efforts to contribute to this global emissions reduction goal. Developed countries, including the EU Member States, should continue to take the lead by committing to collectively reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases in the order of 30 % by 2020 compared to 1990. They should do so also with a view to collectively reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 60 to 80 % by 2050 com- pared to 1990. All sectors of the economy should contrib- ute to achieving these emission reductions, including international maritime shipping and aviation. Aviation is contributing to these reductions through its inclusion in the Community greenhouse gas emission allowance trad- ing scheme (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Community scheme). In the event that no international agreement which includes international maritime emissions in its reduction targets through the International Maritime Organisation has been approved by the Member States or no such agreement through the UNFCCC has been approved by the Community by 31 December 2011, the Commission should make a proposal to include interna- tional maritime emissions in the Community reduction commitment with the aim of the proposed act entering into force by 2013. Such a proposal should minimise any negative impact on the Community’s competitiveness while taking into account the potential environmental benefits. Furthermore, in order to meet this objective, the European Council of March 2007 endorsed a Community objective of a 30 % reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 as its contribution to a global and com- prehensive agreement for the period after 2012, provided that other developed countries commit themselves to com- parable emission reductions and economically more advanced developing countries commit themselves to con- tributing adequately according to their responsibilities and capabilities.