EU edges towards climate deal

09 March 2007 01:19  [Source: ICIS news]

BRUSSELS (ICIS news) The European Union (EU) is moving closer to agreeing on targets to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increasing the use of renewable fuel supplies, the EU president said late on Thursday.

Angela Merkel, German chancellor and current holder of the sixth-month rotating EU presidency, said EU heads of state and government agreed with the idea of introducing a target to cut carbon dioxide emissions and that most wanted to see a binding goal for renewable fuels.

She made her comments after the first day of the EU summit in Brussels.

However, she said that further discussion was needed before she could report that a deal had been concluded.

Ministers from the 27 EU member states are expected by the end of the summit to have agreed in a package that will slash EU emissions of carbon dioxide by 20% by 2020 (compared with 1990 levels) and see renewable fuels providing 20% of EU energy by the same date.

The deal should also include a commitment to increase energy efficiency and to ensure that at least 10% of transport fuel in all member states is provided by biofuels by 2020.

However, the idea of introducing a binding target for renewable fuels is being hotly contested by some member states, such as France, which are already heavily reliant on nuclear power and consider it to be a clean source of energy.

Merkel said technologies such as nuclear power and cleaner coal could be included in the final deal as ways of contributing to a 20% reduction in emissions, but would not be integrated into a renewables target.

The summit concludes at mid-Friday.

By: Philippa Jones
+44 20 8652 3214

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