EU climate deal hangs in the balance

With European leaders gathering in the Polish city of Gdansk today, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in town to try to thrash out the EU’s key climate change deal.

Sarkozy’s mission – to persuade Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, along with several other eastern European leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020.

A big ask, especially when many eastern member states, including Poland oppose large carbon caps. They’re threatening to veto the cuts saying it penalises their coal dependent economies at a time of global financial crisis.

That means a compromise could be on the table. One solution being to give them more time to catch up with the rest of Europe.

With Sarkozy desperate to reach an agreement before signing off the EU presidency this month, some hard bargaining is being predicted.

Copyright © 2010 euronews