Barroso urges EU states not to drop climate goals amid financial crisis

BRUSSELS, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso urged European Union (EU) member states on Tuesday not to use the financial crisis as an excuse to drop the ambitious goals of fighting climate change.

"Tackling climate change is central to Europe's future prosperity and to preserve the quality of life on our planet. We must therefore keep to our goals agreed unanimously last year," Barroso told reporters before leaders from the 27 EU member states were due to meet in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday.

The regular EU summit in autumn is set to be dominated by the financial crisis, which has been devastating the European financial sector in recent weeks and is threatening the real economy. The EU leaders will also discuss an EU climate change package of which they have committed themselves to the overall goals.

EU leaders agreed last year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent in 2020 from 1990 levels, increase use of renewable energy to 20 percent of the total and to make 20 percent energy savings.

But the financial crisis has put EU governments under increasing pressure to water down the plan so as to ensure European industries will not be disadvantaged at this difficult time.

Barroso said he can understand that in the difficult financial moments, governments become more defensive, but climate change does not disappear because of the financial crisis.

He said the EU should not be flexible in the objectives but it would be possible to show flexibility on how to achieve them.

Though EU leaders are unlikely to make a final decision on the climate change package at the upcoming summit, the French government is pushing for a deal before its EU presidency ends in December.