The coupled global climate model EC-Earth has been used to create an ensemble of climate simulations for 1850 to 2100. For 1850 to 2005 observed greenhouse gas and aerosol concentrations including observed volcanic eruptions have been prescribed while for 2006 to 2100 two different scenarios, the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios developed for CMIP5, the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5, have been applied. Global and European mean temperature as well as extreme cold and hot events for Europe have been compared to a range of observation data and analyzed for the future. The global and European mean temperature development for 1850 to 2005 is well captured in the EC-Earth simulations. The intensity of extreme cold and extreme hot events, defined as 1% percentile of daily minimum temperature for winter and 99% percentile of daily maximum temperature for summer, is generally fairly well captured for continental regions while underestimated by up to 5°C in maritime regions. For the future, a decrease in the intensity of extreme cold events and an increase in the intensity of extreme hot events is simulated. According to the stronger RCP 8.5 scenario the 1% percentile of daily minimum temperature for winter increases by up to 25°C in the Barents Sea region by the end of this century while the 99% percentile of daily maximum temperature for summer increases by up to 8°C over Southern Europe.