Brussels, 03/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 6 December, the Cancun climate talks (COP 16, 29 November-10 December) will enter their ministerial phase and, as the EU hopes, will also enter the heart of the subject. Environment ministers of the 192 parties to the talks will take over from the experts to try and move onto the fast track, the Commission states, not wishing to say more on Friday. “Our officials are negotiating. This is an encouraging start but the Commission believes one must enter the core of the talks so that ministers and the commissioner, when arriving in Cancun, will have something concrete on which to negotiate”, said Maria Kokkonen, spokeswoman for Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Action on Climate. The European Parliament is to send a 30-MEP support delegation during the second and last week of the talks. No head of state is expected at Cancun but this does not mean this is a conference on the cheap, was the view taken by Catherine Soullie (EPP, France), who is part of the delegation. “As media and public pressure is less, one can hope there will be a better outcome to the talks”, she said on Friday before flying for Mexico. (A.N./transl.jl)