The European Union is "on track" to get an agreement by year-end on a set of measures to turn Europe into a greener economy by 2020, E.U. Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Friday.
"I am convinced that we will find the right point of compromise and that a deal is within our grasp," Barroso said in a speech he was delivering in Lisbon.
The commission, the E.U. executive body, earlier this year proposed a package of measures to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy such as wind and biofuels.
Barroso and France, which holds the six-month rotating E.U. presidency until December, have made the package one of their top priorities and are keen on getting an agreement among E.U. countries and with the European Parliament by the end of the year.
Negotiations are ongoing, but a deal isn't a given as some countries, including Poland and Italy, are raising strong concerns that these measures would be too costly for their economies and undermine growth.