(Adds Greek denial, paragraphs 5-7)
By Gabriela Baczynska
WARSAW, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Poland has moved closer to
assembling a blocking minority among the European Union members,
enabling them to seek changes to Brussels' proposed climate
package, Polish officials said.
Polish Environment Minister Maciej Nowicki said on Monday he
had reached a common view with Greece last week that more debate
was needed on the EU's package of climate measures.
Poland had earlier signed an accord to present a common
stance on the issue with fellow ex-communist EU nations of
Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.
"We have reached a far-reaching convergence of views (with
Greece) on a number of issues regarding the climate package,"
Nowicki told Reuters in a brief interview. "Among them on the
gradual introduction of the full CO2 auctioning."
GREECE DENIAL
But later on Monday Athens denied any kind of agreement with
Warsaw had been clinched.
"I state categorically that the meeting (between the Greek
and the Polish Environment Ministers) which took place last week
was a discussion over general environment issues," Deputy
Environment Minister Stavros Kalogiannis said in a statement.
"We are absolutely committed to the EU proposed package on
climate changes," he said.
The European Commission -- EU's executive arm -- aims, among
others, to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by a fifth by 2020
compared to 1990 levels. An emergence of a blocking minority
would now force it to seek a compromise on the plan.
Under the EU's voting rules, some decisions may be blocked
by a certain number of member states representing enough voting
power. Those six countries would have enough votes to do so.
Nowicki said Poland did want to jeopardise the deal at the
EU's environment meeting on Oct. 20-21.
He said Poland recognised the need to reduce CO2 emissions
by a fifth by 2020 but said the final details of how to achieve
the target should be worked out later on.
"Poland fully accepts the necessity of reducing CO2
emissions by 2020 but not in the formula now presented by the
European Commission," he said.
"This would lead to the worsening of the situation of the
Polish industry and the living standard of the people."
The EC's proposal sets full auctioning of the CO2 emission
permits as of 2013. France wants to conclude the EU's climate
negotiations by the end its presidency of the 27-nation bloc in
December.
Poland and others want to delay this, arguing their power
plants will not have enough cash to compete with giants like the
Germany's E.ON on the free-market auctions.
"According to the Polish proposal, 80 percent of emission
permits should be granted to the energy sector free of charge
and only 20 percent bought on the market," Nowicki said.
"Then, the number of free emissions should shrink by 10
percentage points every year. So full auctioning as of 2020, not
2013."
At present, industry get some permits for free and companies
have to buy additional ones only if they exceed their granted
quotas.
A Polish source responsible for the negotiations told
Reuters the EC would now try to lure particular countries away
from the group around Poland, the biggest ex-communist nation in
the EU.
"It's not the biggest success when you build up a blocking
minority. It's when the minority sticks together to the very
end," the source said.
(Additional reporting by Athens bureau; editing by James
Jukwey)
