The EU's current target to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by2020 will not be enough to keep Europe in the race for cleantechnologies, according to UK Energy and Climate Change Minister ChrisHuhne, German Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen and FrenchEnvironment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo.
The ministers of these three Member States united for the first timeto make the case for a unilateral move to a 30% target.
"If we stick to a 20% cut, Europe is likely to lose the race tocompete in the low-carbon world to countries such as China, Japan orthe US, all of which are looking to create a more attractiveenvironment for low-carbon investment," the Ministers wrote in theFinancial Times. They also argued that higher ambition would create a"real incentive for innovation and action in the internationalcontext".
The statement is a considerable change to Germany's position, whichhas traditionally backed the EU's official position that a move to 30%should only take place if other industrialised countries make similarcommitments in UN negotiations over a new climate treaty.
In May 2010, a European Commission communication calculated that dueto the global recession, a 30% reduction would now cost only €11billion more than what national capitals signed up to two years agowhen they set the 20% target.
The backing of the three ministers' is likely to re-open the debateabout a unilateral move when the EU discusses in autumn its strategyfor the Cancun (Mexico) climate talks taking place at the end of theyear.
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