TRIESTE, Italy (AFP) — Germany and Italy will seek a joint approach to climate change and the environment, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The two countries agreed to form a joint commission that will work to "bring our positions closer together," Berlusconi said at a joint news conference with Merkel.
"As Germany and Italy are the two main manufacturing countries of Europe, we do not want" new EU rules on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to "have too heavy an impact on our businesses," Berlusconi said after the pair met in the northeastern Italian city of Trieste.
"Europe has the duty to set an example for others" in the area of environmental protection, Berlusconi said.
Merkel is a champion of the EU's climate change plan, having brokered a vow last year by EU leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. They also pledged to have renewable energies make up 20 percent of all energy sources.
Italy has estimated the cost of complying with the pledge at up to 25 billion euros (32 billion dollars) per year, and has conditioned its acceptance on a clause allowing for a review at the end of 2009.
Merkel warned that the global financial crisis could cause leaders to renege on their environmental pledges.
"The goals of 2020 remain, but let's see how we can meet them" without putting too much pressure on a weak economy, she said.
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