Updated

The European Union's environment agency says the bloc's greenhouse gas emissions dropped by nearly 2 percent last year, putting the EU very close to reaching its emissions target for 2020.

That goal is to reduce emissions by 20 percent compared to 1990 levels.

The European Environment Agency said Tuesday that emissions already have fallen 19 percent, meaning the 28-nation bloc is likely to achieve a larger reduction than it aimed for.

The EEA projected that 2020 emissions will be 21 percent or 24 percent lower than they were in 1990, depending on whether planned climate action is implemented in full.

However, some countries weren't on track to meet their individual targets, including Germany and Spain.

Last week the EU set a target of cutting emissions by 40 percent by 2030.