Major economies need to disclose their positions on climate change as soon as possible, ahead of the COP-15 negotiations in Copenhagen this December, according to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. Speaking at the press conference of the EU-China Summit last week in Prague, he told reporters that these countries would need to demonstrate their seriousness by indicating what sort of commitment they were prepared to make in a new global climate deal.

He explained that ‘what is needed is a clear engagement of all major economies to make a deal possible in Copenhagen. For that to happen, each of us must put his positions on the table’, adding that the EU had already largely fulfilled this with its adoption of the Energy and Climate Change Package in December.

He noted that the US, under the new Obama administration, was also making significant progress in this respect, highlighting the recent measures implemented in the US on emissions from cars. China was also heading in the right direction according to Barroso, but would have to ‘build on progress made recently’.

Following the Summit, Barroso spoke at the World Business Summit today, during which he rallied business leaders from around the globe to seize the opportunities presented by climate change and spoke of their pivotal role in pushing their national governments to make further progress in negotiations and in making substantial commitments.

He urged business to ‘stay involved in the negotiations. Keep debating the issue at national and international fora. Keep pushing public authorities. And most of all, continue to shape and seize the opportunities that arise from climate change’.

During discussions with China, the EU and China agreed that greenhouse gas emissions should be halved by 2050, and that whilst all countries would have to contribute towards efforts to combat climate change, this should be done according to ‘common but differentiated responsibilities.