Europe must respond to the latest shocking international climate change report by sharply adjusting its greenhouse gas emissions targets, France’s President Emmanuel Macron told journalists in Brussels .

Leaders at the EU summit had welcomed the recent publication of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (PIC) special report. They insisted that the union must step up its preparations for the forthcoming COP24 climate conference in Poland in December.

In a strongly worded rebuff to US climate scepticism, they applauded the report for “unequivocally confirming the negative impacts of climate change, including its conclusions indicating that global emission reductions in all sectors are crucial, and that further action is needed in mitigation and adaptation, notably to reach the temperature goal as set out in the Paris Agreement”.

The leaders gave strong backing to proposals from the commission to create a new partnership with Africa, pledging that the new, enhanced relationship would be supported by the “necessary resources” through the European External Investment Plan and the EU Trust Fund for Africa .

Relationship with Africa

The commission president Jean Claude Juncker insisted their new engagement with Africa “was not about migration” but a far wider and more profound new relationship.

The summit heard reports on progress in tackling illegal migration and preparing legislation on the banking and capital markets unions – in the expectation that both sets of legislation would be ready for approval at the December summit.

The meeting confirmed work being done by the commission on preparing a tough new sanctions regime to target those responsible for cyber attacks.

Leaders recalled their previous condemnation of the Salisbury attack, and deplored the cyber-attack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (Powder).

EU security

“Such threats and attacks strengthen our common resolve to further enhance the EU’s internal security and our ability and capabilities to detect, prevent, disrupt and respond to hostile activities of foreign intelligence networks and other malicious actors on our territories as well as online,” the summit conclusions said.

Proposals to require internet platforms to take down terrorist material online within an hour of notification were endorsed.

Although the leaders were expected to take Italy to task over its plans to raise its deficit in breach of EU rules, the Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte got a polite hearing when he reported. Mr Juncker said the leaders felt it was more appropriate for them to await the commission study of all the member state budgets.