BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) --
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned EU
leaders Thursday that Europe has everything to
lose if it does not move faster to cut carbon
dioxide emissions and invest in more environmental
energy sources.
The leaders gathered to decide on a new green
energy strategy to fight climate change and reduce
Europe's dependence on oil imports. Merkel, who is
leading the two-day summit, wants the 27-nation EU
to adopt new rules to boost the use of
less-polluting, renewable energy sources such as
wind, solar and hydro power.
"We have got to go for a sensible solution, for
the right policy mix, which will ultimately
deliver results for our grandchildren," Merkel
said before the summit began.
The EU leaders are set to agree to cut
greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by the year
2020 from 1990 levels, a first step in Europe's
ambitious strategy to fight global warming. They
are also set to develop energy ties with central
Asian countries to reduce their dependency on
Russian oil and gas.
Merkel wants the EU to set a global standard to
pressure the United States, Russia and others to
follow Europe's new pro-environment agenda.
"Europe only produces 15 percent of global
C02," Merkel said. "The real climate problem will
not be solved by Europe alone."
She and European Commission President Jose
Manuel Barroso held talks with business and union
leaders before the summit to go over the new EU
strategy to set up a low-carbon economy to counter
climate change, specifics of which are now up for
debate.
The business and labor leaders warned after the
meeting that setting overly stringent rules to cut
emissions would seriously harm Europe's economic
growth.
Barroso urged European leaders "to rise to the
occasion" and "show others we are serious about
the issue."
However, many EU nations are reluctant to live
up to proposed commitments to switch from fossil
fuels like cheap coal to more costly renewable
sources, arguing that it will add costs and hurt
economic growth.
They are also at loggerheads over whether to
replace 10 percent of transport fuel with biofuels
by 2020. Germany, Britain and Italy are pushing
hard for a binding 20 percent renewables target by
2020, but France and many eastern European nations
are against it, fearing they could lose the right
to draw from cheaper sources such as coal or
nuclear power plants.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia are offering to
host a debate on the future of nuclear energy, but
diplomats from both countries acknowledged they
were largely isolated in their efforts. Both
countries say they will be unable to meet the 20
percent target for renewables without nuclear
energy.
"Nuclear energy has been one of the most
important carbon-free energy sources contributing
to reducing emissions," Czech Prime Minister Mirek
Topolanek said in a letter to Barroso.
Merkel said she expected "very difficult
negotiations."
The summit talks also will focus on drafting a
declaration to mark the EU's 50th birthday party
planned for March 24-25 in Berlin, but reaching
unity may be difficult as many nations have topics
they do not want mentioned.
Foreign ministers are to debate efforts to
bring stability to Iraq as well as Iran's standoff
with the West over its nuclear program. Somalia
and Lebanon also will be discussed.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said
Wednesday he will press EU counterparts to bolster
their troop contributions to NATO's mission in
Afghanistan.
A summit deal on energy will help Merkel put
pressure on other Group of Eight industrialized
nations to take action on the environment at a G-8
gathering she will host in June.
The EU leaders are set to back a goal to cut
carbon dioxide releases and keep the average
global temperature increase under 3.6 degrees,
saying they will agree on a 30 percent cut below
1990 levels if other major polluters join them.
According to a draft agreement, they will aim to
go even further in the future — with cuts of 60
percent to 80 percent by 2050.
The EU also wants the United Sates to sign up
to the Kyoto Protocol, which requires industrial
nations to cut their global-warming gases by an
average 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
The major economies of the EU have committed to
an 8 percent cut.
Washington argues that Kyoto would hurt the
U.S. economy and that such cuts should also apply
to fast-growing China and India.