EU environment ministers have yet to reach agreement on a 2040 target for cutting carbon emissions following a first round of interventions at their emergency meeting in Brussels this morning.
Diplomats have said the Danish presidency of the EU is still short of securing the weighted majority of member states needed to reach agreement on a text that will potentially require a 90% reduction in carbon emissions over 1990 levels by 2040.
While there were strong interventions during the meeting by central and eastern European member states saying they could not accept the current draft, it is understood a handful of countries - Romania, Greece, Austria and Belgium - are amenable to supporting the text if there are a number of adjustments.
Diplomats say that could be enough to secure a Qualified Majority Vote, although they cautioned that talks could run into the night.
It is expected delegations from those countries will now go into negotiations with the Danish presidency to see if changes are possible.
However, officials cautioned that concessions that go too far in one direction could push other member states, such as Germany, who want a more ambitious climate target, into a negative stance.
Much of the focus is around what percentage of the 90% target of cutting emissions - either 3% or 5% - can be outsourced to non-EU countries, as a way of easing the burden on member states.
Ireland supports 90% target for 2040
During the debate, Ireland's ambassador on the climate issue Cait Moran - sitting in for Environment Minister Darragh O'Brien, unable to attend due to a clash with domestic obligations - acknowledged the challenges facing Ireland in meeting its carbon emissions targets in the immediate period.
Ambassador Moran told the meeting that Ireland supported the latest text and the 90% target for 2040.
However, she added: "Let there be no doubt, though, that our support for it has not been without its challenges, and has not been straightforward, given the sheer challenge we are facing in meeting our 2030 targets.
"We agree on the opportunity that ambitious climate action brings for boosting competitiveness, but we should not underestimate the challenges it will mean for individuals, households and businesses.
"Maintaining social cohesion is essential, but it will not be easy. Cooperation and collaboration are what have defined the EU's successes since its foundation, and so we welcome [EU climate] commissioner [Wopke] Hoekstra’s engagement with member states on possible options and supporting measures that will help us meet our 2030 obligations and targets."
Ambassador Moran said member states had to be reassured that they will not be unfairly penalised when faced with significant challenges and that in complying with the 2030 targets, there cannot be a diversion of EU funds "that could otherwise be spent on decarbonisation".
She added: "It is essential that we bring the public along with us, and that requires recognition of the challenges we face, and pragmatic decisions on how to achieve a transition that is just and fair for all.
"Cost of living is the main burden carried by European households, and for us, this translates into affordability of energy."
She said that Ireland faced challenges in terms of grid and interconnection constraints and in terms of the development of offshore wind.
Ambassador Moran also said a "key concern" for Ireland was support of small and mid-scale farmers and the production of high quality food for our citizens in an environmentally sound manner.
"This goes beyond economics. It goes to the heart of social cohesion within our union," she said.
