Chief executives from Europe’s biggest energy companies have urged EU leaders to take swifter action to support low-carbon electricity, as member states tried to overcome differences on a €5bn ($6.49bn, £4.62bn) proposal to bolster energy infrastructure.

The European Commission proposal, including support for new grid connections and pilot power stations that can capture and store their carbon dioxide emissions, have proved unusually divisive ahead of a two-day meeting of heads of state that begins on Thursday in Brussels.