European Union Maintains Current Carbon Emissions Offer

The European Union will stick to its current offer in U.N. talks to cut carbon emissions to one fifth below 1990 levels over the next decade, but will raise that if others follow suit, a draft EU letter showed.

“The EU and its member states are committed to an independent quantified economy-wide emissions reduction target of 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels,” said the letter, seen by Reuters, to top U.N. climate official Yvo de Boer.

“The EU reiterates its conditional offer to move to a 30 percent reduction by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, provided that other developed countries commit themselves to comparable emission reductions and that developing countries contribute adequately,” it adds.

The letter is expected to be sent next week if approved by all 27 EU states.

(Reporting by Pete Harrison, editing by Dale Hudson)