European Union environment ministers are Friday seeking agreement on how to push forward Europe's climate agenda, an effort that will require breaking stubborn opposition by Poland.
European Union environment ministers are Friday seeking agreement on how
to push forward Europe's climate agenda, an effort that will require breaking
stubborn opposition by Poland.
Ministers are supposed to agree a common stance on a European Commission
strategy on how to reach a goal of cutting EU carbon dioxide emissions by at
least 80% by 2050. This is a key step in the bloc's efforts to finalize its
long-term climate policy, but
Poland
is
threatening again to veto any conclusions, after stalling the same talks last
June.
The EU has long positioned itself as a global leader on climate mitigation,
already agreeing ambitious targets to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020. It
has also been planning its long-term climate and energy policies around the
2050 goal and the commission--which has executive powers in the EU--is
proposing indicative CO2-cutting targets for each decade up until 2050.
But
Poland
is
holding up an accord because it fears that an endorsement of these targets,
even if vague, would set the basis for binding rules.
The EU plans to cut emissions by 80%-95% by 2050 from 1990 levels. Although the
bloc hasn't yet set policy on how to implement this, it would compel radical
changes in some countries' energy mix.
Poland
feels
particularly threatened by this, as it produces more than 90% of its
electricity using highly-emitting coal and it fears any move toward tough
long-term targets would lead to higher prices, which would have an adverse
effect on its economy.
At the same time,
Poland
worries that the most immediate alternative to coal would be natural gas, which
is abundant and relatively inexpensive, but that would mean increasing the
country's dependence on imports from
Russia
.
Poland
buys
about two-thirds of its gas needs from
Russia
, and
often complains that it pays over the odds.
If there is no agreement reached Friday, the issue will have to be discussed at
the next meeting of environment ministers in June, but in the meanwhile
government leaders will likely be called in to solve the impasse, an EU
official explained.
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