(WARSAW) - Poland is calling for a more gradual introduction of EU measures to slash CO2 emissions by 2020, a government spokesman said Tuesday.

The country, which joined the EU in 2004, supports the measures but would prefer to see them implemented more slowly to protect its economy, Environment Ministry spokesman Michal Milewski told AFP.

"We are not blocking the EU plan, in fact we fully support it," said Milewski, adding, however, that Poland was lobbying to change "one of the ways to reach this goal."

The planned EU caps are meant to encourage EU industry to switch to cleaner energy sources. Carbon dioxide is one of the main gases held responsible for global climate change and is produced by burning coal.

Warsaw is concerned about the plans because Poland, which has a population of 38 million, generates 96 percent of its electricity in power stations fired by coal, much of it from the country's still-plentiful Silesian reserves in the south.

Poland had asked the commission for a 2008-2012 carbon dioxide quota of 284.6 million tonnes per year, but Brussels reduced it by 26.7 percent to 208.5 million tonnes.

Polish experts say the country lacks the financial resources for a rapid switch to less-polluting fossil-fuel power stations, nor will it be able to turn to other energy sources fast enough to meet the needs of its economy.

Poland's Environment Minister Maciej Nowicki officially presented his country's proposal for the gradual introduction of the measures to the European Commission on September 24.

"We are waiting to see what kind of support our proposal will receive at the EU's Environment Council meeting in Luxembourg October 20-21," added Milewski.

In August, Polish leaders threatened to assemble a blocking minority over the issue.

"Today it seems we will not have to block anything," added Milewski, when pressed on whether Poland was lobbying other EU states.

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