Malta's role in restraining the EU's commitment to set ambitious targets to limit climate change has caused surprise and anger, amid concerns that it is in the country's interest to limit its vulnerability to changing weather patterns.

But the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry supported the government's stand, saying it was important to secure competitiveness.

At the EU ambassadors' meeting in Brussels last week it was decided that the 27-nation bloc would not commit to cutting emissions by 30 per cent below 1990 levels over the next decade. This was because Malta, together with Poland, Italy and Cyprus, opposed the move and insisted the EU should not commit to more than 20 per cent because of concerns that it would be too costly for industry.

Malta's position came as a surprise after the declarations made by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi at the climate change conference in Copenhagen last month. There, the government told the world that Malta was at the forefront of the impacts of climate change and urged global leaders to do all they could to limit the problem.

Edward Mallia, a scientist and expert on the issue, expressed his frustration: "Malta's commitment to climate change has always been consistently evasive, mainly interested in reminding the galaxy that it was us who alerted the planet to this business of climate change."

Malta was at the centre of international negotiations that established climate change as 'the common concern of mankind' in 1988, in the first UN General Assembly Resolution on Climate Change. Yet the country has not put those words into practice, according to Prof. Mallia.

Labour Party climate change spokesman Leo Brincat said Malta's referral back to action it took two decades ago was "like the Egyptians saying once they had the Pharaohs".

He added: "Malta's stand flies in the face not only of statements made by the Prime Minister in Copenhagen but also of the radical changes and brave decisions that he asked us to be prepared to take."

The performance in the climate sector of Malta and the three other countries that demanded the EU lower its ambitions is among the worst in the EU. It shows there is a yawning gap between the platitudes expressed by government and the reality on the ground, Mr Brincat added.

Friends of the Earth also criticised the government's stand. "Malta would only have benefited from higher emission cuts. But the government is convinced that Malta will not keep up with higher EU commitments. Voting with this attitude on climate change is highly irresponsible," chairman Martin Galea de Giovanni said.

But the Chamber said it could not agree with any measures that would burden business and industry with obligations of an environmental nature when other countries/negotiating partners were not prepared to make comparable commitments.

"The establishment of a level playing field for business across Europe and throughout the world is of fundamental importance, particularly in the current economic climate where short-term economic objectives such as safeguarding jobs have an overriding priority. Competitiveness must not be undermined," chamber director general Kevin Borg said.

Limiting action by other countries to reduce emissions will in the long run lead to a greater burden for Malta. Their contribution to climate change is greater, but it is Malta that will suffer the worst impact as an island state. A recent European Commission report placed Malta among the EU countries most vulnerable to climate change.

But the Chamber's view is that Malta's energy provider is over-reliant on fossil fuels, and options for industry to shift to cleaner technologies or alternative energy generation are limited. Adaptation times must be taken into consideration, Mr Borg said.

However, the chamber expressed support for energy efficiency measures, saying it had implemented its own initiatives.

The Resources Ministry defended the government's position, saying that since countries such as the US, China, India and Brazil did not commit to effective targets in Copenhagen, a more ambitious deal by the EU would limit its competitiveness.

If there was a global effort to reduce emissions, Malta would be the first to agree to an increase in the EU's target, the ministry said.