EU reaches deal on Lisbon Treaty

 

European Union leaders have agreed what they will offer other countries during global climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Friday.

The EU leaders, attending a two-day summit, have been working on a negotiating mandate for the Copenhagen talks to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations anti-climate change scheme which expires in 2012.

"Europe is making three conditional offers, money on the table, saying we will do everything we can to make a climate change deal happen" Brown told reporters.

"I think this is a breakthrough that takes us forward to Copenhagen and makes a Copenhagen agreement possible."

There was no immediate comment on his remarks by other ministers and no confirmation of a breakthrough.

Brown did not make clear whether east European countries in the EU had dropped earlier demands that the EU agree on how to split the bill before pledging any contribution.

Success in Copenhagen is likely to hinge on money.

Developing countries say they will not sign up to tackling climate change without enough funds from rich nations, which bear most of the responsibility for damaging the atmosphere by fuelling their industries with oil and coal over decades.

"There are very specific figures today" said Brown. "The council will be endorsing the view that 100 billion euros (per year) is the target for 2020." 

"That is aid that is being provided to help developing countries meet their climate change targets and cut their emissions where otherwise they couldn't afford to do so" he said.

"About 20 to 50 billion of that would be public finance... and we're also talking about a fast track offer that we will be paying our fair share of."