The European Union's commitment to ambitious greenhouse-gas emissions reductions squeaked through a summit in Brussels today as leaders first struck out, and then reinstated, an offer to step up the fight against global warming, according to dpa. The U-turn highlights the difficulties EU member states are having in sticking to a common policy on global warming as EU leaders argue over how to restore their prestige in international talks. "Since (United Nations talks in) Copenhagen, we have to approach this on a step-by-step basis, so we're going to try and develop a new negotiating dynamic (in world talks) in the coming months," said the summit's chairman, EU President Herman Van Rompuy. EU leaders in 2007 pledged to cut emissions to 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and to deepen the cut to 30 per cent if other developed nations make "comparable" efforts. But following the inconclusive Copenhagen talks, a fierce tussle has sprung up between EU states over the pledge. Some, such as Britain and Sweden, argue that the EU should move to the 30-per-cent target immediately to pressurize other world powers. "Europe will continue to play a leading role in pushing for a global agreement on climate change. Our objective remains a comprehensive global agreement," British premier Gordon Brown said. But others, especially Italy, argue that the climate-change goals would only weaken European industry. Ahead of the EU summit on Thursday and Friday, the EU's executive, the European Commission, proposed that the climate pledge be written into the EU's new 10-year economic plan. That would include "an increase to 30 per cent of emissions reduction if the conditions are right," the commission wrote. Diplomats said that wording was written into a draft agreement presented to national leaders at the start of the summit. But Italy and Cyprus demanded that the wording be struck out of the agreement, arguing that it weakened the terms of the 2007 deal by not referring specifically to other states' efforts. A reworked draft agreement presented to leaders on Friday morning simply stated the 20-per-cent goal, with no mention of the 30-per-cent target. But that, in turn, angered advocates of the higher target.
