Climate deal "unrealistic" this year - EU climate commissioner

European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard says it is "unrealistic" to expect the upcoming United Nations climate change conference to agree on a global climate treaty, the Danish newspaper Politiken reported Friday.

"There is not much time until Mexico, and perhaps it is better to seek concrete results on financing, mitigation and technology in November," Hedegaard was quoted as saying, DPA reported.

The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place in Cancun, Mexico, from November 29 to December 10.

Hedegaard was named commissioner in the new European Commission after serving in the Danish cabinet, where she handled climate issues and played a prominent role when Denmark in December hosted a climate change summit that ended without agreement on targets to reduce CO2 emissions.

Sights should be set on a "final, legal treaty" at the UN climate summit due 2011 in South Africa, Hedegaard said, adding that she had suggested that EU member states consider a gradual approach.

Hedegaard's successor in the Danish cabinet Lykke Friis was however doubtful and said it was "too early to say how far we can reach in Mexico," according to Politiken.