Barroso asks EU nations not to backtrack on climate change ambitions

BRUSSELS, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso Wednesday asked European Union (EU) member states not to backtrack on climate change ambitions in the face of the financial crisis.

Barroso made the appeal ahead of Wednesday's EU summit, at which the leaders will discuss a climate change package prepared by the European Commission.

"The best way precisely to defend European interests in European industry, European growth and European jobs is to have a global agreement (on climate change). But we'll only have a globalagreement if Europe keeps its leadership role," he told reporters after a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Barroso said he understands that some EU member states are defensive in front of the financial crisis. But he will ask EU leaders at the summit to weigh short-term concerns against long-term responsibilities.

"Some people say there are some burdens on the European economy if we do it and others don't do it. But precisely if we now give any signal that we are not really committed to doing it, others will not have the incentive to do it," he argued.

Barroso said it is completely wrong for the EU to back pedal when there are encouraging signs from the United States.

Brown echoed Barroso on the climate change issue.

"If the last years have shown anything, it is that we must deal with the climate change problem because oil is less affordable than it was, because energy security is more important than it was," he said.

"When you take the issue of environment decay, affordability of and dependence on oil, and security together, it makes it more important that we deal with the long-term policy on climate change and environment."

Barroso said he wanted the EU leaders to keep their earlier commitments to reduce 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 from 1990 levels. They also set a target of having 20 percent of renewables in the energy mix and having 20 percent of energy savings.

The leaders will debate a Commission package of measures prepared in January. Barroso admitted that there are different opinions among the EU member states.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Tuesday expressed worries that France, which holds the current EU presidency, may use the financial crisis as an excuse to water down the European Commission proposal.

One particularly worrying proposal of France would allow even more access to emission reduction "offset" credits in developing countries' projects, said the WWF through its Brussels-based European Policy Office.

It warned that access to significant volumes of project credits will reduce action to cut climate pollution within the EU and allow continued investment in high carbon infrastructure, such as new coal-fired power stations.

France, supported by Italy, Germany and Poland, also wants the manufacturing sector to be exempted from the "polluter pays" principle by receiving pollution allowances for free as a sop to those industries which claim that the EU Emissions Trading Scheme could harm their competitiveness on the global stage, according to the WWF.

Poland and Italy also seek to exclude some power markets from having to purchase all their pollution permits, arguing that in countries without a fully liberalized power market, full auctioning would push up the price of power, according to the WWF.

Many EU member states propose not to earmark revenues from auctioning of pollution permits in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for measures to tackle climate change, it said.