Poland is lobbying its neighbors on the European Union's less-affluent eastern edge as it seeks to block efforts by the regional group to sharply reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, arguing that the planned cuts will hurt economic growth and fuel inflation. The European Commission has drafted a proposal to slash carbon-dioxide output by 2050 to levels so low that Polish officials say they would virtually rule out the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity. Warsaw vetoed the plan at a meeting of EU environment ministers Friday, and Polish officials say they are now starting to gain the support of its neighbors including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania in a bid to block the initiative permanently. --Marcin Sobczyk,
The Wall Street Journal, 13 March 2012
Determined to develop its nuclear industry to meet its booming energy needs, Poland is tired of lectures from its environmentally conscious neighbor Germany. The differing energy philosophies threaten to strain ties between the two countries. The disagreement over nuclear power isn't the only energy dispute that pits Polish producers against German politicians. They are also at odds over shale gas discoveries. But, once again, it is primarily German environmentalists who are curbing the euphoria over the natural gas find. Poland's former ambassador to Germany Janusz Reiter fears that a dispute over nuclear power and shale gas could revive old stereotypes on both sides. "Energy is a highly emotional political issue," he says. "For many German environmentalists, the survival of humanity is at stake." --Jan Puhl,
Spiegel Online 13 March 2012
As a result of Germany's green energy transition, nuclear power is on its way out, but coal, Germany's dirtiest resource, has become the most important energy source again. Thus, Germany’s energy revolution is suffering a serious setback. The Government’s planned energy transition was supposed to produce, among other things, environmentally friendly electricity. It turns out, however, that the power gap, which was created by the shutdown of eight nuclear power stations, will be largely filled by brown coal. --
Impulse, 6 March 2012
At last Friday's EU environment ministerial in Brussels, Poland again - for the second time - blocked a ministerial resolution endorsing the European Commission's low-carbon 2050 roadmap. Last June, it said it didn't like the reference to a 25% emissions cut in 2020 - the EU is currently committed to just 20%. This time, it turned out the problem runs deeper: Poland doesn't like the whole trajectory from now to 2050. Does it matter what Poland thinks? Everyone is saying Poland has "blocked" the roadmap, but all it has done is prevent its unanimous endorsement by the EU-27. Poland has not "vetoed" the roadmap just as David Cameron did not "veto" EU treaty change - in both cases they opted out rather than forced a change of direction. Poland may have been the sole voice of opposition to the roadmap on Friday, but the Czech Republic and Romania at least, reportedly support it behind the scenes. --Sonja van Renssen,
European Energy Review, 12 March 2012
Poland’s veto against the post-2020 greenhouse gas emissions curbing directive proposed at the EU summit in Brussels last Friday was right. But the way we explain our position in Europe has been lamentable. There is not a shred of trust between Polish officials and climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard. But that’s not the real problem – commissioners come and go and in Brussels the unofficial talk is that there will be no climate commissioner in the next Commission at all. The worst thing is the mutual suspicion-poisoned atmosphere has started to filter through to Poland’s relations with some of its key EU partners – Germany, Sweden and Denmark. --Gazeta Wyborcza,
PressEurop, 12 March 2012
