After Italy and Poland brandished the threat of a veto if their reservations were not taken into account, Germany, Europe's largest economy, also voiced concerns over the ambitious environmental plans.

"I can confirm that the objectives remain the same, the calendar remains the same, now it's up to (us) to find solutions for those countries that expressed concerns," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.

"The climate package is so important that we cannot simply drop it, under the pretext of a financial crisis," warned Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, at the close of an EU summit in Brussels.

Last year, EU leaders vowed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. They also pledged to have renewable energies make up 20 percent of all energy sources.

But many EU nations have begun to baulk at the costs involved and the consequences to industry of the climate change goals when they are cut up into individual national targets.

Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who triumphantly unveiled the targets last year, conceded the EU has "lots of work" ahead if it is to reach agreement.

The plans to tackle the gases that cause global warming began to wilt at the summit as industry-heavy states and those dependent on coal power chipped away at the package to take account of their concerns about its economic impact.

Although the likes of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have urged leaders to stick to their objectives, a declaration delivered at the end of the two-day summit indicated they would be trimmed.

According to the text, the 27 heads of state and government agreed the package should be introduced in a "cost-effective manner ... having regard to each member state's specific situation."

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi threatened to torpedo the plans, branding them too big a burden for business amid the global financial crisis. He only finally accepted a compromise in exchange for the package being adopted unanimously by all 27 countries at their next summit in mid-December.

Italian industrialists on Thursday praised the compromise reached in Brussels.

The employers' group Confindustria, which had lobbied for climate change targets to be delayed, issued a statement thanking the Italian government for the "determination they showed in defending the rights of the productive world and the interests of the country."

Poland, heavily dependent on coal-fired power, had vowed on Wednesday to resist any attempt to railroad the targets through.

"From the point of view of the Polish delegation the most important thing was regaining real influence on the final draft and the shape of the climate-energy package," said Donald Tusk, Poland's visibly relieved premier.

The detailed discussions on national targets will begin next Monday at a meeting of EU environment ministers in Luxembourg.

There was some encouraging news Thursday when the European Environmental Agency reported that the 15 European Union countries that signed up to the 1997 Kyoto agreement on cutting greenhouse gases were collectively on track to meet their commitment, though individual performances varied.

"The EU-15 should meet its collective target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by eight percent for the period 2008-2012," compared with 1990, a statement from the Copenhagen-based agency said.

The report also gave a long-term estimate of the emissions situation in Europe.

Although emissions are projected to continue decreasing until 2020 in all 27 members of the EU, the 20 percent reduction target compared with 1990 will remain out of reach without the implementation of additional measures.

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