The 27-nation bloc currently plans to cut carbon emissions to a fifth below 1990 levels over the next decade. But it has promised other countries it will deepen those cuts to 30 percent if they follow suit.

"I would like us to go to the 30 percent as soon as possible," Denmark's Connie Hedegaard told a European Parliament hearing to evaluate her for the job of EU climate chief.

But Hedegaard, widely seen as likely to land the post, stuck to the current EU negotiating strategy of keeping the offer conditional to maintain leverage.

Hedegaard, a member of the Danish Conservative Party, said the EU would have to commit to green industries to avoid losing its head-start on rivals overseas.

"This is not an anti-growth or an anti-jobs agenda - it's the opposite," she said. "If we drag our feet, Europe will lose. Lose growth, jobs, welfare.

"China is moving - and moving fast. The US now understands the message and moves rapidly on energy efficiency and technology. Like Japan, Brazil, South Korea. In other words: Europe's strongholds are challenged."

Forcing European manufacturers to produce more fuel-efficient cars and trucks will also help secure jobs and reduce the need for costly oil imports, she said.

Hedegaard signalled a cautious stance on highly-polluting coal power.

"We should not rush into this," she said when asked about imposing performance standards on new coal power stations. "If we have performance standards, how would we be guaranteed some countries would not just prolong the living-time of the old ones?"

Hedegaard said she would push to extend the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) overseas, building it up to an OECD-wide carbon market.

"I will work very hard to bring about an international carbon market across as many countries as possible of the OECD by 2015," she said. "My objective is to link the EU ETS with the US, if possible by 2015," she said.