EU set for December showdown on climate change deal

MEPs have called on French president Nicolas Sarkozy not to give in to pressure to water down the EU’s climate and energy package.

Responding to last-minute changes being added to the conclusions on package at Thursday’s European summit, Finnish Green MEP Satu Hassi warned that Europe risked getting stuck in a “groundhog day” situation over its repeated promises to tackle climate change.

EU leaders agreed to keep to a December deadline to tie up the climate package, but at the cost of granting assurances to certain national capitals that that the package would be reviewed to ensure that it was “cost-effective”.

“We welcome the fact that Poland and Italy failed in their attempt to derail the whole package. However, the emerging pressure from different member states to scale back or dismantle EU climate policy is a major blow, both to the environment and the European economy,” said Hassi, parliament’s rapporteur for the effort sharing legislation under the package.

“Continually delaying action on climate policy to pander to short-sighted populist politicians will ultimately increase the economic pain of adapting to our climate and energy realities.

“We risk getting stuck in a groundhog day as regards climate and energy policy. We should not allow polluting industries to be once again let off the hook, passing the burden and cost on to future generations.

“As the financial crisis has all too clearly revealed, allowing an industry to decide the terms of its own regulations is inimical to the public interest.”

Hassi’s comments were echoed by fellow Green MEP Caroline Lucas, who warned that giving in to pressure from member states at this point in time would “rip the substance” out of the package.

"The outcome of [Thursday’s] European council does not bode well for the EU's climate and energy package,” said Lucas.

“The French presidency now appears to be driving for an agreement based on the lowest common denominator, with the European council in December to steamroller this through in complete disregard for the codecision role of the European parliament.

“This à la carte approach to the various demands of the member states would rip all substance out of the climate package, leaving the EU with an empty shell of legislation.”

However, Luxembourg Green MEP Claude Turmes was more upbeat in his appraisal of the summit’s conclusions, arguing that the defeat of Polish and Italian demands to delay the proposals “keeps the package on track”.

“We are happy that Poland and Italy have failed in their efforts to delay the EU climate and energy package. This is the most important news from the EU summit and keeps the climate package on track.

“We now have a green light from both council and the relevant European parliament committee coordinators to start formal negotiations, which should kick off in the first week of November and conclude by mid-December.

“Two intensive months lie ahead but we are all determined to get a positive result. The climate crisis runs as deep as the turmoil in the financial markets, but its dire consequences could affect far more people across the world.

“The main challenge will be to contain the lobbying efforts of economic sectors that pocket their profits by polluting the planet.

“As Greens we are not afraid of opening the climate package to economic scrutiny. All studies show that smart climate change policies will create jobs and that greater energy efficiency and use of renewables will reduce our dependence on oil imports to the benefit of the European economy.”

UK Liberal deputy, Chris Davies, the ALDE group spokesperson on environment issues, warned against the short-sightedness of member states that wanted to pull back from their earlier commitments.

“Financial crisis or no financial crisis, global warming is a fact of life and all EU member states must take the issue of reducing carbon emissions seriously,” said Davies, parliament’s rapporteur on carbon capture and storage.

“Any reneging on earlier commitments would undermine the collective effort and our credibility as a union in persuading third countries like China and India to follow suit.

“There clearly needs to be some account taken of various degrees of dependence on fossil fuels and ability to adapt to cleaner technologies, but no-one can be exempted. Those member states such as Italy and Poland should not be allowed to water down our collective commitments to reducing emissions significantly by 2020.”

ALDE group leader Graham Watson said that failure to show leadership on tackling climate change at the summit would have been a “historic failure”.

“Global meltdown of financial markets has posed a formidable challenge but global warming of the environment threatens to outweigh even that in its potential for irreversible and catastrophic change to our climate,” said Watson.

“We need the same degree of strategic policy agreement and coordination on the environment as we are witnessing in the banking sector.”

Environment commissioner Stavros Dimas welcomed Thursday’s final outcome, saying, “The case for bold and urgent action on climate and energy is compelling, delaying is not an option.

“I remain convinced that the package presented by the commission is not only cost-effective but fair and equitable. Solidarity is at the heart of the package.

“Work now needs to intensify if we want to reach an agreement by the end of the year. The commission stands ready to pursue its constructive dialogue with the other European institutions while making sure that the overall architecture of the package is maintained, as well as its environmental integrity.”

EU environment ministers are set to discuss the package on Monday at a meeting in Luxembourg.

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