The summit was expected to put numbers on the table after meetings of environment and finance ministers earlier this month passed the buck regarding a final position (EurActiv 11/03/09). But unresolved issues are now delaying decisions further.
The economic and finance ministers' council failed to address a Polish request to develop plans for burden sharing between EU member states (EurActiv 10/03/09). According to a senior EU diplomat, the Czech EU Presidency did not consider the topic fit for discussion at the European Council, and thus conclusions will remain very general.
In fact, draft conclusions that have emerged for this week's EU summit highlight the need to look into internal EU arrangements for climate financing and technology support in more detail. They state that EU leaders will return to the issue at subsequent meetings once the Commission and Council have worked further on it.
The diplomat said discussions should be concluded in June, leaving the Swedish EU Presidency - which starts in July - with the task of finalising the Union's position.
The draft merely reiterates the results of previous ministers' meetings. It states that the EU will "take on its fair share" of financing mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries, both with private and public money.
Unfinished business
The document alludes to unfinished business, saying future discussions on financial support should focus on "combining different approaches". These would include both contributory and market-based approaches. The strong emphasis finance ministers had put on private funding as the main source of investment has nevertheless been smoothed out.
The Greens in the European Parliament said in a blog post that the current draft summit conclusions are vague and lack ambition. It would be a "disgrace" for the EU to play a "causal role in such a failure" by not properly engaging in international climate negotiations, given that Europe has asserted itself as a global leader on climate change in recent years, they added.
According to the Greens, a realistic international agreement would have to see industrialised countries commit to providing at least €100 billion every year. The EU's responsibility should be €30 billion at the very least, in addition to traditional development aid, they stated.
Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, also expressed fear ahead of the summit that the EU is "backsliding on its promises". The EU could raise funding from emission allowance revenues under its emissions trading scheme, via national contributions or by imposing a levy on carbon-credit trading, he told the FT.
Energy security
Another recurring issue on EU leaders' agenda is energy security. In the wake of the gas crisis, during which a dispute between Russia and Ukraine cut supplies to many Eastern EU countries, they will call for a new crisis mechanism to ensure that the Union is prepared for such disruption.
The heads of state and government are also set to urge the Commission and governments to present detailed plans of action for the priority areas of the Second Strategic Energy Review (SER II). These include the Southern gas corridor, diversifying LNG supplies, electricity interconnections in the Baltic region, the Mediterranean Energy Ring, North-South gas and electricity interconnections within Central and South-East Europe, and the North Sea and North-West Offshore Grid (EurActiv 20/02/09).
To finance these projects, the Council will request the Commission to present proposals for a new EU energy security and infrastructure instrument in early 2010, although the text fails to elaborate further on the purpose of the measure further.
