Seeking united stand, EU considers allowing poor members pay less into climate fund

EU leaders assess new climate change finance deal

BRUSSELS — The European Union is seeking to maintain a united stand on climate change by giving leeway to poorer member states to pay less into global climate aid fund.

EU leaders opened a final day of summit talks Friday facing a new proposal that would allow cash-strapped eastern EU states to pay less into a fund to entice developing nations to join an international climate pact by helping them cope with the effects of global warming.

The initial aid proposal was watered down after nine eastern EU members said they did not want to strain crisis-stretched budgets too far.

The EU hopes to agree on a firm figure for its contribution to the aid fund before the December U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen.