(ANSA-AP) - BERLIN, 20 SEP - Under pressure from environmental protests and a surge in support for the opposition Green party, the German government agreed Friday on a 54 billion euro package of measures for tackling climate change. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the deal agreed by the country's governing parties after all-night talks represented a major boost for Germany's efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Europe's biggest economy aims to cut its emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels "We believe that we can achieve the goals and that we've truly laid the foundations for this," Merkel said. Germany had long been a leader on environmental protection but has lagged behind many European neighbors in recent years and looks set to miss its emissions cutting targets for 2020 by a wide margin. The country's transport sector in particular had failed to keep step with reduction targets. (ANSA-AP).