26/10/2020 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 26 October, the European Union welcomed Japan’s desire to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, communicated by the country’s Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga. “Japan is demonstrating global leadership by setting a zero net emissions climate target for 2050 and meeting its commitment under the Paris Agreement. Prime Minister Suga’s announcement marks a milestone in international climate action”, said Frans Timmermans, the European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal. “I am looking forward to working with our Japanese partners to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and to make COP26 a success”, said COP26 President Alok Sharma. The announcement from Tokyo comes a few weeks after China’s announcement that it wants to achieve this target by 2060 (see EUROPE 12566/4). (DG)