BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders have failed to back a plan to make the bloc's economy carbon neutral by 2050 in spite of promises to fight harder against climate change.

Ahead of a U.N. meeting in the fall, the proposal was relegated to a non-binding footnote in the final statement of Thursday's summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

"For a large majority of Member States, climate neutrality must be achieved by 2050," the footnote read.

However, for the change in approach to become an official target, all 28 EU countries need to back the change.

According to several officials who spoke anony...