"Even if it is too early to expect major breakthroughs, the Poznan conference must shift gear from exploratory discussions to concrete negotiations," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas stated on 28 November.
There are hopes that Poznan, which runs from 1-12 December, will produce a text, accompanied by a detailed work programme, that can provide the basis for detailed negotiations to prepare for a global deal during the December 2009 conference in Copenhagen.
But while the European Commission has high hopes for Poznan, the EU, which has repeatedly championed its own 'leadership' in global efforts to address climate change, has been increasingly flirting with a loss of face and international credibility as its member states bicker over the details of their climate and energy package (EurActiv 27/11/08).
Failure to reach a deal would not only be embarrassing for the EU, but would send the wrong signal to Poznan, according to groups like the WWF.
Brussels is seeking to downplay the situation. "We don't have a position on the distribution of the efforts internally, but what parties are interested in is not how much the package will cost to Poland or to Germany, but they are interested that the EU has decided targets at the highest political level and that they stick to these targets and that becomes the law," a Commission spokesperson said in Brussels on 28 November.
Bad timing?
This year's conference will conclude at the same time as the EU summit of 11-12 December, when the bloc's heads of state and government are scheduled to wrap up their discussions on the climate and energy package.
There are concerns that Poznan will be in 'limbo', as international delegates wait and look to Brussels for clues from Europe's major economies. The talks may not be entirely hamstrung, however.
During the first days of the conference, delegates and other attendees including Commission officials, MEPs and NGOs will meet in a series of workshops and working group meetings to resolve technical and other issues related to the 'building blocks' of a future climate change deal, including the transfer of clean technologies and adaptation funds to developing countries and the prevention of deforestation. Much of the 'meat' of these sessions will also be decided in late-night sessions and corridor talks, according to veterans of past COPs.
High-level meetings between heads of state, meanwhile, are reserved for the last two to three days of the conference and will thus be held in parallel to the EU summit. The precise level of interplay between the EU summit and the last days of Poznan remains uncertain.
