"Are conditions right? Would it make sense at this moment? The answer would be no," admitted EU Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, presenting a much-awaited climate paper.

A day earlier Germany, France and others had voiced opposition to the main thrust of the paper, that the EU should consider unilaterally deepening its pledged emissions cuts from 20 percent, as currently agreed, to 30 percent by 2020.

The Brussels backpedalling from the 30 percent goal was most evident in a few very late changes to its published paper.

"The purpose of this communication is not to decide now to move to a 30 percent target: the conditions set are clearly not met," the final version insists in a sentence absent from an earlier draft seen by AFP last week.

At her press conference the EU commissioner said any decision to increase the reduction target "is a political decision for the EU leaders to take when the timing and the conditions are right... The decision is not for now."

"Back to realism," was how the relieved European steel industry body Eurofer greeted Hedegaard's comments, as Europe struggles out of recession.

Many capitals will happily put such considerations on the back burner as they struggle with the more pressing task of pulling their economies out of a debt stranglehold.

The message from German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle and France's Industry Minister Christian Estrosi on Tuesday was very clear.

"We have shared our concerns at the commission's proposal," said Estrosi.

"The European Union is ready to adopt the 30 percent figure if other major economies make comparable undertakings," the French minister added.

The EU's conditional 30 percent offer was put on the table, but not reciprocated by other major industrialised powers, at last December's world climate talks in Copenhagen. Currently Europe has agreed only to cut emissions by 20 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels.

The commission, which hopes EU heads of state and government will consider its proposals at their summit on June 17, stresses in its paper the "advantage of acting earlier rather than later."

Such a move would bring "significant long-term benefits for Europe's competitiveness, by maintaining a strong position in a rapidly growing global market for low-carbon technologies."

The commission estimates in its paper that the total cost of such a move would be some 81 billion euros (100 billion dollars), just 11 billion more than had originally been costed in for the agreed 20 percent emissions cut.

Environmental group Greenpeace seized on the EU figures that suggested that making deeper cuts would be not only cheaper than previously thought but also bring benefits to the environment and the economy alike.

"I think it is important that we have facts on the table and not scare-mongering from industry," a Greenpeace spokesman told AFP.

Britain is leading EU nations which want the deeper cuts in greenhouse gases.

"Global climate change is the biggest challenge the world faces.... That's why we will push for the EU to demonstrate leadership by supporting an increase in the EU emissions reduction target to 30 percent by 2020," said Britain's Secretary of State for Climate Change Chris Huhne.

Hedegaard's problems were not just external.

Her boss, EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, "doesn't want any problems with the member states," and told her so, one European diplomat said.

However Hedegaard warned that Europe was losing its edge in the development of new green technologies, with China and the US moving quicker.

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