STRASBOURG, France, Dec 17, 2008 -- Reuters
The European Parliament approved on Wednesday a deal on cutting greenhouse
gas emissions, the final step in a year of talks to secure the world's
broadest agreement yet to battle climate change.
Parliament's approval follows a deal among European leaders last week to cut
carbon dioxide emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 after
watering down the costs for industry of fines and pollution permits.
The economic crisis had at times threatened to derail the European Union's
plans, but a myriad of concessions to industry helped pin down a deal amid
criticism from environmental groups.
The deal takes on a greater importance coming just before Barack Obama
assumes the U.S. presidency, amid hopes in Europe of transatlantic
cooperation to tackle climate change.
"Everybody knows what Mr Obama has set as priorities -- energy security and
climate change," European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in the
debate preceding Wednesday's vote.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had fought
hard for industries like German steel, chemicals and cement and Italian
glass, ceramics and paper, as well as their powerful auto sectors.
Lawmakers also agreed on measures on Wednesday to cut CO2 emissions from new
cars by 18 percent by 2015, after intense lobbying by the car industry won
it a three year delay to the curbs.
The biggest threat to a deal was the opposition of nine former communist
nations, which feared the deal would ramp up costs for their highly
polluting coal-fired power sectors.
To buy their support, funding will be distributed to them from around 12
percent of revenues from the EU's flagship emissions trading scheme (ETS),
which makes industry buy permits to pollute.
Negotiations were fast tracked to get the deal finalised well ahead of next
year's Copenhagen talks to find an international deal, causing anger in the
parliament that it had not been properly consulted.
"Exceptional circumstances sometimes demand an exceptional response," Czech
conservative member Miroslav Ouzky said after the vote.
(Reporting by Huw Jones, writing by Pete Harrison; editing by Sue Thomas)
Keywords: EU CLIMATE/PARLIAMENT
Keywords: EU CLIMATE/PARLIAMENT (pete.harrison@thomsonreuters.com; reuters
messaging: pete.harrison.reuters.com @reuters.net; +322 287 6843)
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