This article attempts to provide an overview of key policy elements of the European Union\u27s climate policy since the adoption of the UNFCCC in 1992. Section II discusses the main features of the EU as an actor vis-a-vis its Member States and the international community at large. Section III identifies the key actors at play in the EU context; Section IV analyzes the EU\u27s track record on domestic policies and measures. Section V, in turn, debates selected key topics in the international climate change negotiations from a EU perspective. Finally, section VI debates the prospects of continued international EU leadership on climate change, especially now that the U.S. has withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol