EU under pressure to weaken more climate policies, Denmark says

By Kate Abnett

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is under fresh pressure from some governments within the bloc to weaken its laws to fight climate change, after already watering down some in response to political pushback, Denmark's climate minister said on Tuesday.

Europe's green agenda has hit resistance this year, as elections in many countries have shifted political priorities away from the environment and onto issues including how to rescue ailing European industries.

The EU Parliament approved on Tuesday the bloc's decision to delay an anti-deforestation law following objections from trade partners and some member states. EU green farming policies were also softened earlier this year in response to farmers' protests.

Danish climate minister Lars Aagaard told Reuters he was concerned more EU green measures would face the same fate, and urged governments to refrain from changing laws they have already passed.

"We are afraid that more files will be opened, because where does it end? We can hear that there is a push from some countries to reopen," Aagaard said.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday she wanted the EU's 2035 ban on new combustion engine cars changed, and for Brussels to lift fines for carmakers that miss carbon dioxide emission limits in 2025.

The Czech Republic and Poland hope to delay the 2027 launch of a new EU carbon market for transport and heating fuels, to give consumers more time to switch to green alternatives.

Aagaard said he understood the concerns, but opposed backtracking on these policies as that would penalise people and businesses that have already invested in the transition from fossil fuel to low-carbon energy.

"Making European regulation credible for investors also means that you stick to what you have decided," he said.

Wariness over climate policies that could add costs to businesses and consumers has grown ahead of elections next year in EU countries including Germany and Poland.

Such concerns have complicated a planned EU climate target to cut net emissions by 90% by 2040, which the European Commission is due to propose early next year - but which only a handful of EU countries have so far confirmed they will support.

(Reporting by Kate Abnett; additional reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copnehagen; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)