European Union officials said on condition of anonymity that EU leaders are meeting on Thursday and Friday in Brussels to debate the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The officials said the meeting to be chaired by the EU Council President, Donald Tusk, had spent a week negotiating a compromise text that they believed the big member states would agree on.

They said the text underlined the need for the EU and its member states to be able to ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible.

“It also says the EU is committed to a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions domestically by at least 40 percent by 2030, as agreed at political level in October 2014.

The officials noted that the target has become controversial as some member states and environment campaigners have interpreted the agreement of a global deal in Paris as a reason to push for the EU to agree a more ambitious goal.

They said the commission is concerned that reopening the discussion on the 2030 target would derail a difficult debate this year on how to share out that goal among the 28 member states, including Poland, whose economy depends on coal.

Meanwhile, the officials stressed further that environment ministers said during their meeting in Brussels that EU was not doing enough to counter climate change.

They disclosed that a letter voicing their concern was sent on their behalf to Tusk on Monday.

Segolene Royal, French Environment Minister, said the Paris Agreement would be on the agenda of summit talks on Thursday and Friday, adding that French President, France Hollande, would seek backing from fellow leaders.

As host of the Paris talks, France has led the drive for Europe to maintain climate leadership ahead of a meeting in New York next month to formally open the Paris Agreement for signatures.

With climate, energy also re-enters the talks.

The draft summit text urges law-makers “to proceed with work on the proposals to reinforce the EU energy security as a matter of priority.

(Reuters/NAN)