|
|
G20 London Summit > From Foreign Press
|
EU leaders reject more stimulus plan(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-20 11:11
While the EU leaders rejected major stimulus plans, they agreed on a euro5 billion energy package likely to include gas pipelines and plans to bury climate-damaging carbon, Barroso said. He did not detail which projects won approval, though a final list was expected at the summit's close Friday. Again, Merkel had led opposition, warning of higher budget deficits despite the benefits for Europe's environmental credibility. The EU wants to be at the vanguard of UN-sponsored global warming talks in Copenhagen later this year. EU leaders are seeking agreement Friday on how much aid to give to poor nations in exchange for support for a global climate change pact. Environmental groups say the EU should contribute around euro35 billion ($47 billion) a year by 2020 to poorer nations to help them cut emissions. On the economy, European governments already resisted a push for more spending from the US at a summit of Group of 20 finance ministers last week, and Thursday's stand underlined their position going into an April 2 summit of G-20 national leaders in London. "You cannot solve everything by using taxpayers' money. The huge deficit of the United States is a problem because it takes away resources for credit markets all over the world," said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who will take over the EU presidency in July.
The heavy impact of recession is hitting a growing number of Europeans. When Sarkozy came to Brussels on Thursday, he had to leave his prime minister behind to deal with a nation hit by a wave of protests and strikes that disrupted transport and schools. All shared a common demand: more action to counter the recession and unemployment. More than 1 million people marched in cities and towns around France Thursday, and a few hundred youths showered police with bottles and stones at a big protest in Paris. Meanwhile, news came that France's economy is shrinking at its fastest pace in over 30 years. Still, Premier Francois Fillon told the nation, "We cannot go beyond what we have done. The government has a duty to act responsibly." In Germany, companies piled on more bad results Thursday. Chemicals producer Altana AG turned literary Thursday, saying it was "caught in the maelstrom" of the global crisis, with profits in 2008 down 25 percent. |
主站蜘蛛池模板： 雅安市| 哈巴河县| 韶关市| 南昌县| 鹿邑县| 仁寿县| 浮梁县| 仙居县| 武宣县| 扶风县| 青龙| 怀安县| 驻马店市| 西乡县| 监利县| 大新县| 临泉县| 和田县| 汉中市| 施甸县| 奇台县| 金坛市| 萝北县| 大名县| 温泉县| 丰顺县| 上饶市| 温州市| 和政县| 广安市| 淮南市| 长治市| 临夏市| 福州市| 抚顺市| 策勒县| 吉安县| 香河县| 息烽县| 清流县| 墨玉县|
