Abstract
This article examines strength and ambition of twenty-one EU member states' national emissions commitments in the context of the Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015. The outcomes show that mainly countries situated in Scandinavia, British Isles and Western Europe already included post-2020 emissions targets in their national law or strategies.
External factors, derived from constructivism or theory of structural embeddedness, indicate a significant correlation with strength and ambition of commitments, while domestic factors give mixed results. A number of EU members, including those belonging to the G-7 group, prove in comparison with non-EU most developed countries more efforts to satisfy the important principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
This is essential for maintaining the EU leadership in the international climate regime.