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Despite hours of discussion, European heads of state or government did not agree on Thursday at a summit in Brussels about the goal of neutralizing the continent’s climate by 2050. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic were obstructive, reports from diplomatic sources.
By 2050 many government leaders were ready to support a text showing the EU’s readiness to pursue net climate neutrality. This means that the remaining greenhouse gas emissions must be completely offset by other measures such as carbon storage.
However, he met with strong resistance from Poland, which, with the support of Hungary and the Czech Republic, demanded a guarantee of financial support to transform the carbon-free economy. A country like Poland is highly dependent on coal and other fossil fuels for its economy.
Foot Note
Finally the heads of government had to compromise for the text of the agreement stating that the European Union wants to achieve net climate neutrality in line with the Paris Agreement, but citing the 2050 date.
In recent weeks, France had led the way for an ambitious European position on climate. Initially, Belgium and six countries joined, and in recent times Germany and most other member states also joined. However, this was not possible by consensus. For example, the European Union should go to the United Nations climate conference in New York in September with limited ambitions.
