Poland to draw red line on EU climate change targets

New Prime Minister of Poland Ewa Kopacz (L) is welcomed by European Council President Herman van Rompuy (R), prior to a meeting at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, 06 October: photo - EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

Speaking after a meeting with Herman van Rompuy during her first trip abroad as prime minister of Poland, Ewa Kopacz told journalists that during the talks on Monday she laid out the “expectations of the Polish government at the European Council meeting [on 23 October]”.

The October summit will try and reach a consensus on CO2 emissions policy ahead of next year's UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.

In July, the European Commission proposed reducing the EU's energy use by 30 percent by 2030, though individual member states would be able to decide whether to opt in to the targets.

Last week PM Kopacz said that Poland could use a veto on any proposal that would cause electricity prices to rise for consumers.

“Poles will not lose out when it comes to electricity prices,” she said in Brussels.

Poland has an economy heavily dependant on coal, the consumption of which increased last year.

Ewa Kopacz, who took over as head of the Polish government after the resignation of Donald Tusk in September – before he takes over from Herman Van Rompuy as president of the European Council in December – also had talks with president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz in Brussels on Monday.

Ewa Kopacz said that “we agreed that the EU must speak with one voice on Ukraine,” and praised the EP president for his role in securing the recently-signed associate agreement with Kiev.

“Poland is one of the pillars of EU integration,” Schulz said at the joint press conference, adding that “we talked about what we have to do to, from a military, economic and political point of view, in order to stabilize Ukraine”. (pg)

source: IAR/PAP