Prague - The Czech Republic wants the European Union to craft a "win-win" climate-package deal that would not detriment the EU's Eastern European members, an official said Wednesday.

"For us phasing-in in the power generation sector is a kind of a red line. It must be part of the solution," said Vice-Premier for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra, referring to an EU proposal to require companies to buy greenhouse gas emissions permits at auctions.

European Union leaders are set Thursday and Friday to debate an ambitious package of climate and energy laws, intended to curb emissions of greenhouse gases that are believed to cause global warming. The proposal aims to cut emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.

Eastern European members of the EU, who are largely dependent on coal for their power generation, oppose a proposal that would make companies buy emissions credits at auctions from 2013. Burning coal produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

They see the policy as too costly and warn it would hike energy prices amid the global financial crisis.

"This is a country, which has coal as an important part of its energy mix," Vondra said. "In the energy sector you can't change your business from one year to another."

The Czech Republic would prefer the 27-member union clinch a deal at the upcoming EU summit rather than let the matter linger into 2009, when the Czech Republic will hold the EU presidency for the first half of the year.

Vondra, however, expects tough talks. "Without any doubt it will be the most difficult debate ... at the upcoming European Council," he said. (dpa)