EU struggling with divergent climate positions in its own bloc
EU delegates were working all night on trying to come up with a common position on financing aid to developing nations for help with global climate warming. At the EU’s summit in Brussels – running concurrently with the Copenhagen conference - leaders had been hoping to reach agreement on a EU-wide, joint offer of around $9 billion over three years. But wealthier countries such as Germany and France have been struggling to bring the relatively poorer Eastern European ones along as contributors as well. The pledges sought in Brussels would create a “fast start” contribution to the world's poorest nations to deal with rising sea levels, deforestation, water shortages and other consequences of climate change between 2010 and 2012. So far, the biggest contributions have come from Britain at €883 million and Sweden at €765 million. The Netherlands has pledged €300 million and Denmark at €160 million. The summit is also addressing taxes on bankers’ bonuses and the Greek financial crisis. The European Council is the first since the Lisbon Treaty came into effect, with Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy as its first president. For more, read the BBC and the AP
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