Regis Philbin
Sep 21st, 2009, 05:29 PM
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e4328854-a6da-11de-bd14-00144feabdc0.html
US-EU rift clouds climate summit
By Fiona Harvey in London, Joshua Chaffin in Brussels and Edward Luce in Washington
Published: September 21 2009 19:46 | Last updated: September 21 2009 22:08
A growing rift between the US and Europe is overshadowing Tuesday’s United Nations climate change summit in New York, further damping hopes for a breakthrough at the Copenhagen talks in December.
Connie Hedegaard, the Danish environment minister, lowered expectations, saying: “Things are looking difficult and too slow, that is the fact.”
The downgrading of expectations comes as relations between the US and Europe, which started the year of talks as allies, near breakdown.
In Brussels, European Union officials have grown increasingly frustrated at the US stance, saying it has fallen short on both its level of ambition to reduce emissions and on offering aid to developing nations.
“So far, we thought the basic problem was the Chinese and the Indians. But now I think the problem appears to lie most clearly with the US,” a European Commission official said. Talks were “not going well”.
European officials say the Obama administration lacks focus because its top talent is wrapped up in the all-consuming debate over healthcare.
US-EU rift clouds climate summit
By Fiona Harvey in London, Joshua Chaffin in Brussels and Edward Luce in Washington
Published: September 21 2009 19:46 | Last updated: September 21 2009 22:08
A growing rift between the US and Europe is overshadowing Tuesday’s United Nations climate change summit in New York, further damping hopes for a breakthrough at the Copenhagen talks in December.
Connie Hedegaard, the Danish environment minister, lowered expectations, saying: “Things are looking difficult and too slow, that is the fact.”
The downgrading of expectations comes as relations between the US and Europe, which started the year of talks as allies, near breakdown.
In Brussels, European Union officials have grown increasingly frustrated at the US stance, saying it has fallen short on both its level of ambition to reduce emissions and on offering aid to developing nations.
“So far, we thought the basic problem was the Chinese and the Indians. But now I think the problem appears to lie most clearly with the US,” a European Commission official said. Talks were “not going well”.
European officials say the Obama administration lacks focus because its top talent is wrapped up in the all-consuming debate over healthcare.