France's ecology minister said Friday that phasing out fossil fuels must remain a "priority" at UN climate talks and criticised the European Union stance in negotiations.Monique Barbut said it was crucial to uphold a pledge made by nearly all nations at the "truly historic" COP28 in 2023 to transition away from planet-heating fossil fuels.
"Fundamentally, I maintain that phasing out fossil fuels must remain our priority," France's minister for ecology transition told a Senate hearing.
Barbut repeated her displeasure at the outcome of COP30 last November which concluded with a watered-down pact that made no explicit reference to fossil fuels.
Despite its opposition, the EU ended up accepting the agreement in Brazil rather than scuttle a deal.
But that pact was "meaningless -- it doesn't even mention phasing out fossil fuels, which is after all, the core of the Paris Agreement", Barbut said.
She criticised the EU for a "care bear" attitude and urged the 27-nation bloc to "be capable -- when necessary -- of rejecting a bad agreement".
Barbut has previously suggested the EU consider using financial and trade leverage to assert its position in the hard-fought climate negotiations.
The next annual UN climate talks are being hosted in Antalya, Turkey from November 9.
