EU cools rhetoric on deeper unilateral emissions cuts

The European Commission, under pressure from industry and member states, on Wednesday cooled its enthusiasm for the EU to unilaterally commit to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent.

"Are conditions right? Would it make sense at this moment? The answer would be no," admitted EU Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, presenting a much-awaited climate paper.

A day earlier Germany, France and others had voiced opposition to the main thrust of the paper, that the EU should consider unilaterally deepening its pledged emissions cuts from 20 per cent, as currently agreed, to 30 per cent by 2020.

The Brussels backpedalling from the 30 per cent goal was most evident in a few very late changes to its published paper.

"The purpose of this communication is not to decide now to move to a 30 per cent target: The conditions set are clearly not met," the final version insists in a sentence absent from an earlier draft seen by AFP last week. At her press conference the EU commissioner said any decision to increase the reduction target "is a political decision for the EU leaders to take when the timing and the conditions are right... The decision is not for now."

"Back to realism," was how the relieved European steel industry body Eurofer greeted Ms Hedegaard's comments, as Europe struggles out of recession.

Many capitals will happily put such considerations on the back burner as they struggle with the more pressing task of pulling their economies out of a debt stranglehold.

The message from German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle and France's Industry Minister Christian Estrosi on Tuesday was very clear.

"We have shared our concerns at the commission's proposal," said Mr Estrosi.

"The EU is ready to adopt the 30 per cent figure if other major economies make comparable undertakings," the French minister added.