“The Eastern European country will most likely name its own commitments before the Copenhagen climate summit at the end of this year,” Alexander Grebnikov of the United Nations Development Programme told Point Carbon.

Grebnikov referred to a strategy project on reducing the consequences of climate change developed by the Belarusian Environmental Protection Ministry, saying it envisions reducing emissions by 10 percent in comparison with 1990 levels.

During United Nations talks, industrialised nations, including Belarus, supported the notion that developed nations must reduce their emissions by 25 to 40 percent by 2020.

According to Grebnikov, defining and fulfilling commitments will depend on many factors, namely whether the country can meet its commitments by purchasing carbon units.

“It is impossible to reach significant reductions without additional financial mechanisms,” he said.

Belarus is not qualified at the moment to participate in international carbon emissions trading schemes and receive carbon units for trade from the UN. For this to occur the country must be categorized according to Amendment B of the Kyoto Protocol. It applied for this status in 2006, but it has not yet been confirmed.