BRUSSELS
European Union leaders gathered for a two-day summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the Ebola crisis, climate change, energy legislation, and the crisis in Ukraine.
Prime ministers and presidents from 28 EU member countries met at the European Council to debate the proposal for a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030.
''If we reach this agreement we will certainly be in a better position to lead the global discussions and to encourage others to follow the European Union's example," said Jose Manuel Barroso, the outgoing president of the EU Commission, in a statement Thursday.
The EU Commission -- the 28-nation bloc’s executive body responsible for proposing legislation and implementing regulations -- also announced Thursday that €24.4 million ($30.8 million) from the EU budget would be devoted to Ebola research.
''We're in a race against time on Ebola, and we must address both the emergency situation and at the same time have a long term response," Barroso said in the statement.
The funding will pay for five projects, including the clinical trial of a potential vaccine and testing existing novel compounds to treat Ebola, the Commission stated.
But U.K.’s Prime Minister David Cameron said, ''European countries need to do more.'' Britain had pledged over 125 million pounds ($200 million) to combat the deadly disease which has killed 4,877 people since the beginning of its current outbreak in February.
"Risk number one is obviously the crisis of Ebola and it's very important we take action at source, in West Africa," Cameron told the press before he entered the EU Council building in Brussels.
The European Union is committed to gathering up to 1 billion euros to fight against Ebola in West Africa.
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