Climate change remains a top priority for Germany despite a row with the European Commission over its planned emissions targets, a German government official said on Wednesday. Germany supports a tough stance on climate change even though it rejected last week as "totally unacceptable" a European Commission ruling that its own targets were too weak, said Urban Rid, director general for climate protection at the environment minister.

The EC had ruled that nine out of 10 European Union states, including Germany, would have to tighten their caps for emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) in the second phase of the bloc s carbon market from 2008-12. "It was a situation that was not so nice," Rid said, adding Germany had become "less optimistic" about private sector reductions in CO2. "The Commission has another point of view.

"I think we will solve it...Christmas is not far away. We are confident we can solve the problem soon." Rid said that Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to make climate change a centrepiece of Germany's presidencies of the European Union and the G8 in 2007. Germany is Europe s largest emitter. In a speech to a meeting of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) in Berlin, he said Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel had decided that climate change needs the attention of heads of state.

He said environment ministers from around the world meeting at UN climate talks in Nairobi last month were unable to take firm action on global warming because they lacked clout. "(Leaders) have to put it on their national agenda. It has to be a question of economic and industrial policy. Only if the European heads of state put it on top of the agenda will there be the necessary progress."

European countries face limits on their greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 under the international Kyoto Protocol, and the "old" 15 members are only just on course to meet these. "Germany strongly supports the Commission that all European countries need to reach their targets," said Rid.

"If we can t do that, we should not even think of being the international leaders on climate change. It s very challenging." Last week, the Commission demanded steep cuts in CO2 emissions plans in Germany and other countries for 2008-2012. Germany had said it would cut its CO2 quota in 2008-2012 to 465 million tonnes per year from 482 million.

But the Commission slashed that figure further to 453 million tonnes per annum. Economy Minister Michael Glos dismissed the EU move as "totally unacceptable." The Economy Ministry said it will ignore the Commission's targets.
(Por Krik Kirschbaum , Planet Ark, 07/12/2006)