EU to press for "ambitious" emissions cut at Warsaw climate talks

The European Union is seeking more ambitious targets on greenhouse gas emissions cut and further progress towards a new climate agreement for all countries by 2015, officials said here on Wednesday ahead of the UN climate conference in Warsaw starting next week.

"The Warsaw meeting is an important step in implementing commitments made so far, finding ways to make short-term action more ambitious and preparing the 2015 agreement," said Lithuanian environment minister Valentinas Mazuronis, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.

The EU's climate action commissioner Connie Hedegaard also called on all countries to "prepare strong pledges for the 2015 deal and step up emissions cut over the rest of this decade."

"Everybody should understand that the Warsaw climate conference will not conclude the negotiations on the 2015 global climate deal, " said Hedegaard, "But it will be a very important meeting to make progress and set the stage for Paris 2015."

In another statement from the European Commission, the 28-member bloc said it would push its global partners at the Warsaw conference, slated for Nov. 11-22, to step up emissions cut over the rest of this decade.

The Warsaw conference is foreseen to be a milestone in the path of striking a new global climate deal by 2015. However, observers do not expect any single big decision from the conference, while national negotiators may go through hard bargaining as they wrestle with key sticking points.