European Union policymakers yesterday set out a second set of proposals to cut emissions across its economy this decade and to put it on track for net zero greenhouse gas output by 2050.

In July, the 27-country bloc became the first of the world's major emitters to map out a detailed plan to meet its climate targets with legislative proposals including bigger carbon markets and a phase-out of combustion engine car sales.

The European Commission proposed a second, smaller set of regulations yesterday, which is focussed on buildings, methane emissions and fossil gas.

The measures proposed yesterday include a reform of EU gas markets, which aims to integrate low-carbon gases such as hydrogen into the network, but did not offer the firm phase-out plan for fossil gas that campaigners have called for.

And Brussels unveiled its first legislation to tackle emissions of methane, a potent planet-warming gas.

This proposal would force oil and gas operators in the EU to find and fix leaks of methane in their infrastructure, though it did not extend the rules to cover the companies abroad that supply most of Europe's gas.

A third proposal aimed at buildings would to require EU countries to renovate millions this decade to save energy.