EU says Germany stifling progress on climate change

BERLIN, Feb 4 (Reuters) Germany's lack of progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions is holding back international efforts to combat global warming, the European Union's Environment Commissioner was quoted as saying today.

In an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper, Stavros Dimas said Germany, which currently holds the bloc's presidency, was a long way from leading the way on tackling climate change, and urged the country to live up to its responsibilities.

''A number of other countries are closer to their Kyoto targets, for example Great Britain and Sweden. Then there are others who are hiding behind Germany,'' he said.

''Only once Germany puts all the nice speeches into practice will the others no longer be able to hide. If Germany blocks, the rest of Europe doesn't play along. And if Europe doesn't play along, neither does the rest of the world,'' he added.

Last month German Economy Minister Michael Glos threatened to use legal action to thwart the Commission's efforts to impose tougher quotas on carbon dioxide emissions.

EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso told Germany's parliamentary weekly magazine Das Parlament Berlin could not be granted special dispensation on emissions.

''We used the same calculation basis for Germany as we did for all other states,'' he said in an interview issued on Sunday. ''We can't just tailor our criteria towards member states' individual wishes. That would be inappropriate and unfair.'' Also in Bild am Sonntag, German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her country's efforts to battle climate change, saying Germany would be responsible for 75 per cent of all cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in the EU between 2008 and 2012.

She said more global co-ordination was needed on the matter.

''The EU should commit itself to reducing CO2 emissions until the year 2020 by 30 per cent in total,'' she said. ''We're going to offer 20 per cent initially and then we'll offer 30 per cent when countries like the United States also participate.'' On Friday, the world's top climate scientists published a report saying mankind was to blame for global warming and that temperatures could rise by up to 4.0 Celsius this century.

Responding to the report, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel urged a global summit to be held on climate change.

''It's crucial that the United Nations get to grips with climate change at head of state and head of government level, and in the UN general assembly,'' he told daily Die Welt.

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