European leaders are under pressure to strike a deal on the EU climate and energy  legislative package, the EU's contribution to the post 2012 Kyoto Protocol process, but the resolve to meet the self-imposed December 2008 deadline to do so appears to be softening, despite the French Presidency’s efforts to keep up momentum.

The EU has been and continues to be one of the strongest proponents of the UN Kyoto Protocol.  It is a top priority amongst European leaders that the EU play a leading role in the "crunch" international climate talks in Poznań, Poland from 1 to 10 December 2008 and Copenhagen, Denmark at the end of 2009 . To achieve this, the EU negotiators need a strong mandate from the three main EU institutions responsible for setting EU law and policy, namely the European Commission, European Parliament and Council.  But this is not an area where the EU has strong Treaty competences and so a mixture of carrots and sticks are needed to keep all Member States at the negotiating table.  It is also important to note the other legislative proposals that are on the negotiating table that interrelate to the package.  Taken together, the negotiators hope to show-case to the world at Poznań and Copenhagen as comprehensive a legislative framework as possible, that will deliver sustainable economic development in the EU and a persuasive contribution to the global effort.