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Italy seeks significant changes to EU climate plan

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-21 14:20

LUXEMBOURG – Italy called Monday for significant changes to be made to a European Union plan to combat climate change and for the effects of the package to be reviewed in a year.

"The package as it stands right now is not suitable. It is untenable. Significant changes are needed," Italian Environment Minister Stefania Prestigiacomo told reporters ahead of EU environment talks in Luxembourg.

"We are not the only ones to take this position," she said.

"We demand a review clause. We hope now that real negotiations will be opened. We've come with good intentions. We are going to ask for many modifications and we hope they will be taken into account," she said.

On Saturday, Italian news agency ANSA said Rome could approve the plan if it includes a clause allowing for its revision following a cost-efficiency report to be produced in 2009.

Last year, the EU vowed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels, in an effort to halt global warming. It also pledged to have renewable energies make up 20 percent of all energy sources.

But Italy and Poland threatened to veto the project -- which was due to be sealed in December -- as the financial crisis bites and with relatively poor ex-communist countries dependent on coal-fired power.

In the end, they persuaded their EU partners to only adopt the package at the next EU summit in mid-December by a unanimous -- rather than majority -- vote; a clear threat to the bloc's ambitious plans.

Rome suspects the plan would cost its economy around 25 billion euros (US$33 billion) each year, although the European Commission puts the figure at between nine and 12 billion euros.