Negotiations between the European Commission, EU member states and the European Parliament on the issue have run into difficulty over the details.
EU environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius admitted on Tuesday, at a meeting of EU environment ministers in Sweden, that "we have a very busy time again in front of us" and "time is really limited". Adam Guibourge-CzetwertyĆski, a Polish junior climate minister, said that, given the varying centres of concern in the EU, there was need "to make this proposition realistic in practice".
"The green consensus that was there at the beginning of our term has gradually been eroded. It's fading away," he said, pointing to remonstrations from farming and fishing lobbies.