The EU’s climate agenda hangs in the balance

The EU has entered a severe economic downturn. Not only does Europe face the deepest recession since the 1970s, but the recovery when it does arrive will be weak and patchy. One casualty of the economic crisis could be the EU's ambitious climate policy agenda. Eighteen months ago, EU governments agreed that by 2020 the Union would cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 20 per cent; improve energy efficiency by 20 per cent; and draw on renewable sources for 20 per cent of its energy. The EU now needs to agree on the policies needed to meet these targets. A failure to do so will undermine the EU's negotiating position ahead of the UN summit in Copenhagen in December 2009, and make it much harder to secure an international climate agreement.