EU climate package too much for Italy

Italy has asked for big changes in a European Union plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. At talks in Luxembourg, Italian Environment Minister Stefania Prestigiacomo Presti jacomo said “it doesn’t work for us.”

Once the costs are added up, Rome wants to be able to revise the pact.

Italy says the deal in its present form would be too expensive with the worl in financial turmoil.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Sunday that nine other EU states shared this position.

The EU’s leaders last week stuck to a December deadline to agree on the package.

Representing the current presidency of the bloc, French Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said:
“Obviously, what everyone wants is to agree on this, while taking into account the specifics of each, the big difficulties of this country or that, in such and such a configuration. But we do not have the mandate to delay the package.”

The EU has set goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels, deriving 20 percent of power from renewable sources by the same year and saving 20 percent through energy efficiency.

Europe is considering giving its automobile sector support in coming up with less polluting vehicles. European carmakers are asking for €40bn to help them meet new EU standards.

The December date for concluding the deal was set in order to be ready for global climate negotiations late next year.

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