Poland Blocks Merkel's Push to End EU Carbon Emissions by 2050
Poland blocked a push endorsed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the European Union to end greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, setting a sour tone for a summit to decide who’s going to lead the bloc’s key institutions.
Before the gathering, Merkel allied with the heads of several mostly western EU states to support advancing a plan to reach zero net emissions by the middle of the century. Poland, endorsed by Hungary and the Czech Republic, derailed that plan in a heated discussion at the start of the summit in Brussels on Thursday. The 2050 deadline was dropped from the leaders’ statement and got reduced to a footnote backed by a “large majority” of members.
“We were very firmly defending our interests,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters. “Poland is one of those countries that must first have a very detailed compensation packages. We must know how much we can get for modernization.”
The move underscores the differences among EU member states on key policy issues as the bloc is facing a decision about top jobs for the next five years. Poland and some other eastern nations have been at odds with more ambitious western countries, including France, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands, over the pace of emissions cuts and which energy sources and technologies should be encouraged.
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