EU leaders fail to fix figure on climate fund for poor countries, to keep working on it

EU leaders struggle to fix figure on climate fund

PARIS — EU leaders say they have failed to agree on how much money to commit to a fund to help poor countries cope with global warming and will keep working through the night.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt says after the first day of a two-day EU summit that “we are still working on putting together what the European countries on a voluntary basis are able to do.”

He said Thursday night “we will work though the night to see that we get all the resources in place.”

Eastern EU nations are reluctant to offer help for a short-term fund intended to help developing nations cope with the effects of global warming and start curbing emissions before a new climate treaty being negotiated in Copenhagen comes into force in 2012.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Western European nations struggled to convince their poorer eastern neighbors Thursday to present a united front on climate change by helping pay developing nations to cut emissions and adapt to climate change.

EU leaders failed to agree at a summit Thursday on how much money to commit to a global climate fund for impoverished nations, according to an EU diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing.

The leaders will consult through the night with their capitals about how much to offer, and will continue the discussions at the summit’s closing day Friday. Nearly $3.5 billion have been committed so far for the next three years.

The European Union casts itself as the world’s leader of efforts to combat climate change. Two years ago, it was ahead of the pack when it pledged to cut 20 percent of emissions from 1990 levels by 2020 and to increase that to 30 percent if other big polluters made similar promises.

Japan and Russia have now outpaced Europe with 25 percent cuts and diplomats said EU leaders will discuss Thursday raising their own bar to 30 percent — even if climate talks in Copenhagen fail to agree a new treaty.

Eastern EU nations are reluctant to participate in costly emissions cuts or to offer help for a fund intended to help developing nations cope with the effects of global warming and start curbing emissions before a new climate treaty being negotiated in Copenhagen comes into force in 2012.

Leaders of richer EU nations are hoping for a firm monetary figure that could spur other wealthy countries — notably the United States — into helping the developing world more, especially if they aren’t making large emissions cuts. The U.S. is promising a 3 percent reduction from 1990 levels.

Failure to persuade the poorer EU nations to contribute would tarnish the appearance of EU unity on climate change, but is not expected to hold up the fund.

Sweden’s minister for European affairs Cecelia Malmstrom said that “even small contributions can show that all European countries want to contribute.”

The EU was expected to announce a figure Thursday night, but in an apparent attempt to preserve the bloc’s perceived unity, it will not break down the amount into national contributions.

Britain has announced it will contribute $1.3 billion over three years, and Sweden will give €800 million ($1.2 billion). The Dutch say they will contribute €300 million ($442 million) over three years, and the Belgians €150 million ($221 million). A Danish diplomat said Denmark would contribute €160 million ($233 million).

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany would contribute but gave no figure.

Polish officials said Thursday that their country could donate the money it raises from selling unused pollution permits from the EU’s cap-and-trade program, which could generate €50 million to €60 million over the three years, a diplomat said.

The two-day summit is the first since EU-wide reform known as the Lisbon Treaty entered force this month, bringing new rules to accelerate decision-making. Leaders huddling for the first time without their usual armies of advisers to thrash out decisions on climate change and international banking supervision. On Friday, they will discuss the West’s nuclear standoff with Iran and Tehran’s violent suppression of pro-democracy protests.

Before the summit got under way, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed on the need for higher taxes on bankers’ bonuses to compensate from some of the damage risky banking has caused to the global economy.

EU leaders also said they would support further U.N. sanctions against Iran unless Tehran starts cooperating over its nuclear program.

“Iran’s persistent failure to meet its international obligations and Iran’s apparent lack of interest in pursuing negotiations require a clear response, including through appropriate measures,” said a draft statement obtained by The Associated Pres and being discussed by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels. The statement didn’t outline what those measures would be.

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AP writers Raf Casert, Aoife White and Barbara Schaeder in Brussels, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed to this article.