EU seeks balance in climate talks

BRUSSELS, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A balanced set of decisions is needed to find a common environmental agreement in Cancun, Mexico, the president of the European Union said in Brussels.

EU President Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed delegates to Brussels for the Eighth Asia-Europe meeting.

Barroso told the delegates that it was time to deliver on pledges made last year on fast-track financing at the climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"And we have already helped many Asian countries with climate funding. But this is high time also for joint action," he said in his statement. "We must agree on a balanced set of decisions at Cancun which bring a global agreement closer."

China is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world along with the United States. The Asian economy, meanwhile, continues to outpace its counterparts.

"As we have come through the worst of the recent economic crisis, it has become more clear than ever how interdependent are the different regions, not least Europe and Asia," said Barroso. "We have learned that we need to find common solutions to restore sustainable growth."

Global climate negotiations remain deadlocked after the Copenhagen climate summit last year ended without a binding climate protection agreement.

The international community meets in Cancun, Mexico, to revisit the matter with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change at the end of November.