LUXEMBOURG - France and Germany urged smaller European Union economies not to use the world financial meltdown as an excuse to gut legislation that aims to combat global warming with deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said at an EU environment ministers' meeting that "the European Union must keep its leadership role" in climate change to nudge the United States and others into a global deal on slashing emissions.

The bill, which aims to cut EU greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020, is to be adopted in December. The EU hopes it will lead to a deal that month at UN climate negotiations in Poznan, Poland.

"We cannot afford to delay," German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said.

In last-minute objections, Italy said the bill would hurt its industries because Chinese and US competitors face no equivalent emission burdens. Italian officials pushed for a clause that would force the European Commission to do a new cost analysis of the climate change bill in 2009.

Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia say they have already made great cuts in carbon emissions since emerging from communism.

Borloo said "there was a very strong willingness" to work toward a deal by December." But, he added, "the financial markets crisis must not delay this. The EU must keep its leadership role or there will be no point in going to Poznan."

The financial turmoil has triggered fears of a global recession that would make governments less eager to get major polluters such as energy generators, steel makers and cement producers to pay billions into a cap-and-trade emissions scheme.

The EU cap-and-trade program could impose up to euro50 billion ($68.8 billion) a year in polluter fees.

EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said critics exaggerated the costs.

"Approving the EU bill in December will be consistent with tackling the financial crisis," because it will promote investments in clean energy, creating jobs and easing the EU's dependence on oil imports, he said.

The European Commission estimates the cost of the climate change bill at 0.5 percent of the bloc's gross national product by 2020.