The Finnish EU presidency has dramatically increased the pressure on the European commission to adopt a draft action plan on energy efficiency by threatening to cancel a meeting of EU energy ministers due to discuss the proposals in November. The move would be highly unusual but the Finnish suggestion reflects growing anxiety over the action plan's future.

The plan was set to be adopted by the commission this week but this was delayed after last-minute concerns were raised by commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.

Addressing an ENDS energy efficiency conference in Brussels on Thursday, Taisto Turunen, director general of the Finnish industry and energy ministry said the commission’s failure to table the propsals would leave the meeting agenda empty and EU ministers "twiddling their thumbs".

The threat to abandon the meeting was confirmed by Finnish prime minister Matti Vanhanen in a phone call to Mr Barroso on Thursday morning. Later in the day similar pressure was exerted by the European parliament and NGOs.

In letters to Mr Barroso a cross-party group of six MEPs said the delay was "unnecessary and counterproductive", while the Green-10 coalition of environment campaign groups called for stronger measures than those contained in draft plans that emerged last week.

Commission official Samuele Furfari insisted there was no opposition to the plans within the commission and said the publication had been delayed merely for "practical internal reasons". Mr Barroso is due to meet energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs on Friday morning to discuss the action plan, with an announcement promised in the coming days.

Follow-up: See conference website  and Green 10 letter.