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Coal-rich Poland wants concessions in EU climate deal

"I cannot conceal that we’re facing extremely difficult negotiations and it’s very uncertain if we’ll make a deal," said Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

By Brooks Hays

BRUSSELS, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- European leaders are in Brussels this week as the European Union attempts to set new benchmarks for reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and slowing climate change.

The European Council is holding meetings Thursday and Friday, where leaders will discuss targets for energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy production, greenhouse gas reductions and more.

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"It's a big week for the EU," Tim Nuthall, spokesman for the European Climate Foundation, a environmental advocacy group, told Climate Central. "This will be a landmark decision that has big consequences, both domestically in the E.U. and internationally."

EU member nations are already working on goals set for 2020, an agreement nicknamed the "20-20-20 deal" for the abundance of 20 percent targets. Now, many member nations want to up the ante for 2030.

The Commission has put forth a proposal that would have Europe aim for a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, with similarly ambitious targets set for renewable energy production and energy efficiency. These goals would be met using Europe's main emissions-reduction tool -- strengthening the CO2 limits on some 12,000 of the continent's largest manufacturers and utilities.

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But while countries like Sweden and Germany would like to see more aggressive aims, countries like Poland -- coal-rich and with an economy less developed than nations like France or Denmark -- want slightly less lofty goals and assurances their economy won't be unjustly hit should electricity prices rise. They're also asking for funding to upgrade facilities, should they need to meet more aggressive standards.

Though most of Poland's allies on this front reside in Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom is also reluctant to agree to fixed national targets when it comes to renewable energy production, as it looks to protect its growing shale gas and nuclear energy industries.

"I cannot conceal that we're facing extremely difficult negotiations and it's very uncertain if we'll make a deal," Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt told lawmakers in Copenhagen earlier this week. "The countries are wide apart and we face major obstacles on setting targets, distributing burdens and renewing our energy infrastructure and efficiency."

Europe, which has been the world leader on combating climate change for some time now, wants to forge ahead with more aggressive targets so to remain the global pace setter as the UN prepares to address the topic later this year in Lima, Peru, and then again in Paris in 2015.

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