Euro MPs seal major climate deal

Critics fear the climate deal may have been undermined by compromises

The European Parliament has backed a package of measures to combat global warming - seen as a key EU initiative.

The plan, agreed by EU leaders last week, sets out how the 27 member states will cut carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, compared with 1990 levels.

With the backing of MEPs, the package - hailed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy as "historic" - becomes law.

But critics say concessions made to some industrial sectors will lessen the package's long-term impact.

"We have sealed the climate package," European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering said after Wednesday's vote in Strasbourg.

It followed a year of tough talks between EU member states to secure the agreement.