Britain said on Tuesday it did not support proposed punitive trade measures threatened by the European Commission against countries that do not sign up to greenhouse gas emissions cuts.
Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said proposals on Monday from European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso that importers may have to obtain emissions permits equivalent to those of the European competitors “might look like trade barriers.”
“We believe in global trade, we want more of it in the future, not less, and that is good for the European economy,” Wicks told BBC radio. “So we are against any measures which might look like trade barriers.”
“There is always the danger that the protectionists in Europe ... could use this as a secret weapon… to bring about protectionism.”