The EU summit has begun in Brussels; discussions on climate objectives without Poland

Poland will be represented by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babisz. Such replacement is not unusual. Two weeks ago, when the head of the Czech government had to leave the summit for a few hours, Morawiecki represented him. Replacements occur in different cases, but it is not possible for the head of government to replace, for example, the Minister for European Affairs. Leaders' meetings are a club only leaders have access to.

The first item is to be information on the state of play of the EU-British talks to be presented by Chief negotiator Michel Barnier. Despite the forthcoming end of the transitional period, the agreement is not seen on the horizon. On Wednesday evening, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel spoke to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but there was no breakthrough.

"Nothing new or significant has come up," reported EU sources. On the other hand, the UK government's statement shows that Johnson stressed that an agreement was desirable, but also expressed disappointment that greater progress had not been made in the last two weeks.

Although London pointed to October 15 as the final date for an agreement, for the time being no one leaves the negotiating table. High sources in the EC say that a month should suffice to complete all formalities, including the translation of more than 500 pages of text and its approval.

Therefore, there is no panic in the EU, but the leaders at the summit are to emphasise that "progress on key issues of interest to the Union is still insufficient to reach an agreement". The EU is also expected to call for more work to be done on preparing for the absence of an agreement.

"We want agreement, but not for all purposes. This must be a fair deal that serves the interests of both parties," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Brussels.

French President Emmanuel Macro excluded the dedication of French fishermen's interests in talks with Britain. As he pointed out, his country is ready for a non-contractual scenario.

The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said it would be crazy if the EU did not agree with Britain. "I think it would be better for both parties to have an agreement economically and geopolitically," he stressed.

At dinner, Heads of State and Government are first to hold discussions on the new 2030 climate target. The Commission's proposal is to raise the target to 55 percent compared to the level in 1990. The European Parliament insists that the reduction at the end of this decade is 60%.

The EU countries are divided on this issue, some of them opt for high ambitions, but some point out that this could entail high socio-economic costs.

"We all want to give our children and grandchildren a sustainable future. To do this, we need to step up the fight against climate change," said Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven in Brussels.

The ambitious groups outside Sweden include the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, Latvia, Greece, France, Portugal and Spain. Denmark and Finland would like an even higher target than the EC proposed.

Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria are on the other side of the barricade. Warsaw considers that the final decision of the European Council on this matter scheduled for December should be preceded by broad consultations with all Member States.

The current summit conclusions, which do not like Poland, emphasise the need for the Union to increase its ambition in the fight against climate change. They also stress that every country will have to participate in this effort.

On Friday, EU leaders are to talk about the fight against the pandemic. On Thursday, the Commission presented a set of proposals to help Member States address the challenges of vaccination on Covid-19.

Leaders are also to discuss international issues, including Belarus, Russia and Turkey, and relations with Africa before an upcoming meeting with African Union leaders.

Source: PAP