The European Commission initially wants to adopt non-binding guidelines to make it easier for the Member States to adapt to the negative consequences of climate change. For this purpose, the Commission wants to support the build-up and provision of knowledge about adaptation measures. In addition, the European standardisation organisations are to examine whether industry standards, in the areas of energy, transport and construction, take sufficient account of climate change.

The European Commission wants to bring in a system to monitor, report and verify CO2 emissions and other climate-relevant information from ships ("MRV system").  On the one hand, the data will create a basis for further political measures. On the other, companies will gain a better overview of cost reductions.

The European Commission argues in favour of an early agreement on Climate and Energy Policy to 2030. The discussion centres on the question of the number and definition of targets and how these can be achieved, efficiently and effectively, taking account of competitiveness and security of supply.

The EU Commission argues in favour of including all major "economies and economic sectors" into an international climate change agreement with legally binding emission reductions and introducing carbon pricing for international aviation and maritime transport.

In the EU operators of fixed installations and aviation companies may emit greenhouse gas emissions only if they possess the corresponding emission allowances. According to the Commission, the reduction of prices for emission allowances is a result of the “imbalance between supply and demand”. Now, it proposes options for eliminating structurally and sustainably what it perceives as a "supply-demand imbalance“ in the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS).

The Commission wishes to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by indirect land-use changes. To this end it wishes to limit the amount of how much conventional biofuels count to a maximum of five percentage points of the 10% expansion target, amongst other things.

Due to the economic crisis, the demand for and price of CO₂ emission allowances are lower than originally expected. As a result, the Commission holds that the functionality of the EU emission trading system is jeopardised. Therefore, it wishes to be afforded the possibility to change the timetable for auctioning emission allowances in order to be able to temporarily hold back these allowances (“backloading“).

In order to limit global climate change to a global warming of below 2°C, the EU is to move towards a “competitive low carbon economy” in 2050. To this end, the Commission presents a roadmap for possible action up to 2050 which could enable the EU to meet its climate protection target for 2050. The roadmap is based on analysis of alternative scenarios.

Since 2005 the framework of EU emission trading system (ETS) allows for certain stationary installations (e.g. for power and heat supply, for metal production and processing, for paper production and for the chemical industry) and, as of 2012, air traffic  may emit greenhouse gases only if the operators possess the according allowances. Pursuant to the ETS Directive as of 2012 Member States must auction all allowances for aviation and as of 2013 for stationary installations which are not allocated free of charge. The submitted Regulation Draft affects the timing, administration and other aspects of auctioning of these greenhouse gas emission allowances.