By Filipe Rufino - 8th March 2007
European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering has called on EU leaders to endorse binding targets for green house gas emissions and renewable energy production.
Speaking as EU heads of state and government were arriving in Brussels for the spring summit, Poettering said the parliament fully backed binding targets and wanted EU governments to do the same.
“Statements of intention are of no help”, said Poettering, adding that the EU had “a moral obligation” to protect future generations from climate change.
“Failure to act now would create a problem for which future generations would pay an enormous price. This is unacceptable”.
Poettering also stressed the need for the EU to take leadership in building a global post-Kyoto regime.
"If the EU is not ready for leadership on climate change in the world then I suspect nobody is”.
Poettering said the EU needed to work on getting the USA, India and China on board at the next G8 meeting in June which will be chaired by German chancellor Angela Merkel.
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