ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY: GERMANY READY TO TALK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 002743 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT PASS CEQ - BANKS, AND EPA - MEDEARIS, DEPT FOR OES AND EB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV ENRG EAIR GM SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY: GERMANY READY TO TALK BUSINESS AT CSD, HIGH LEVEL DIALOGUE REF: BERLIN 2548 ¶1. Summary. Officials in the international division of the Environment Ministry emphasize the Chancellery's desire to link environmental and economic issues will shape Germany's bilateral dialogue with the U.S. on climate change as well as Germany's contributions to the upcoming High Level Dialogue on Climate, Energy and Sustainable Development. The linkages between economics and environment will also help determine where Germany stands in the UN Commission on Sustainable Development as well as Germany's agenda during the G-8 and EU presidencies. In each context, the officials noted the value of dialogue between business and government. Environment Ministry officials state Germany's goal for the CSD-15 is integrating energy into sustainability planning by 2010. The Environment Ministry is also interested in a good result from the High Level Dialogue and hopes to move it forward during Germany's EU presidency in 2007. A major EU Presidency priority for the Environment Ministry will be energy efficiency. Environment Ministry officials also used the September 14 meeting to inquire about U.S. interest in hosting the next meeting in the Bonn Renewables process during 2007 and described what they perceive as initial interest from the United Arab Emirates in a long-term dialogue on advancing renewable energy. Finally, officials announced Ministry of Environment State Secretary Machnig will travel to Washington October 5-6. End Summary. -------------- LET'S TALK BUSINESS -------------- ¶2. Economics Minister Counselor, Global Affairs Officer, and EUR/AGS Desk Officer for Economic and Global Affairs Issues met September 14 with German Ministry of Environment's (BMU) Stephan Contius, Director for United Nations and Cooperation with Developing Countries, Bert-Axel Szelinski, Director for Cooperation with OECD Member States, and Dr. Martin Schoepe, from the division on International and EU Affairs of Renewable Energy. Contius opened by referring to the Energy Summit process Chancellor Merkel convened in April and stressing the Chancellery wants to see a strong linkage between environment and the economy. Environmental innovation -- particularly in the areas of energy efficiency and clean energy -- can play an important role in boosting the German economy. The Environment Ministry is on board with this approach and is taking concrete steps to foster investment in clean energy technology, for example by creating a unit to help German clean energy companies enter foreign markets. Szelinski commented that he had been in a meeting that day with a visiting delegation from the American Chamber of Commerce EU and found that U.S. industry representatives are more accepting than he had thought regarding environmental policies such as cutting energy consumption. He suggested the U.S. and Germany encourage EU industries and their U.S. counterparts to establish a dialogue on energy efficiency, since there is already considerable progress being made at the industrial level that can help shape government policies. -------------- AS G-8, EU PRESIDENT -------------- ¶3. Szelinski said the environmental goal of the German G-8 Presidency is "going from the important multilateral language of Gleneagles to concrete action." Energy efficiency will be a main focus, he said, because the Chancellery has political interest in energy efficiency and its links to innovation and economic stimulation. ¶4. The Environment Ministry also plans an EU Environment Ministers' conference on the international aspects of energy efficiency during the first half of February 2007. The German government would welcome U.S. ideas on steps we have taken to boost energy efficiency, such as the Energy Star program. EMIN pointed out other related efforts underway in the U.S. as well to cut energy consumption. Although Contius said the Environment Ministry still has to work out with the other ministries what concrete results they will seek during the EU presidency, one possibility is an "energy roadmap" for BERLIN 00002743 002 OF 002 increasing energy efficiency and use of renewables by EU members, as described in reftel. -------------- AT CSD-15 -------------- ¶5. Contius mentioned his involvement in the EU troika dialogue on energy leading up to the CSD-15. He will meet counterparts from Finland, the European Commission, and the U.S., plus the Austrian Vice Minister for Energy in Helsinki on September 19. Contius said Germany supports the proposal made at CSD-14 in May 2006 that energy be integrated into national sustainability planning by 2010. The integration of water sanitation into sustainability planning provides a good model, he continued. Contius said Germany wants to build on this idea by suggesting at CSD-15 that members create a list of national commitments on sustainable energy practices by ¶2010. He sid the list could serve as an "action program," ut noted that both the name of the list and the 201 date are open for discussion. -------------- AT THE HIGH LEVEL DIALOGUE -------------- ¶6. Contius recognizes the Hgh Level Dialogue (HLD) is in its early stages, ut said the Environment Ministry is interested in a good result right from the start. EMIN stressd the intent of the HLD is to discuss climate, energy, and sustainable development in an integrated way and that it is important all relevant interests be represented. The Environment Ministry officials all agreed with this statement, noting the Chancellor's energy summit process takes a similar view to the Ministries of Economics and Environment sharing ground where climate and energy issues intersect. -------------- BONN RENEWABLES PROCESS -------------- ¶7. Schoepe reiterated interest in the U.S. hosting the next meeting in the Bonn Renewables Process, which began in 2004. He said Germany would be willing to contribute to financing the conference and said it is important the conference be a government-sponsored event to which stakeholders and NGOs are invited. He was concerned corporate sponsorship of this event would have -- or would be seen to have -- undue influences over the event's proceedings. Emboffs argued this need not be the case. ¶8. Contius sees potential political value of the U.S. hosting another meeting in the Bonn Process: he said Germany and the United Arab Emirates have signed an MOU on technology cooperation in the areas in energy and renewables. By holding the next renewables meeting, he suggested the U.S. might be able to persuade the UAE to host the following one, which would have great symbolic value. Cooperation on clean and more efficient energy technology is of interest to Abu Dhabi as part of its long-term development strategy, he continued, and the U.S. and Germany should seize the moment to further this interest. -------------- STATE SECRETARY MACHNIG TO WASHINGTON -------------- ¶9. Environment Ministry State Secretary Matthias Machnig will travel to Washington October 5-6. He will look to have meetings at Departments of State and Energy, as well as at the EPA. The German Embassy is arranging his program. Topics for discussion will be Germany's upcoming EU and G-8 presidencies, as well as how to further bilateral cooperation with the U.S. on climate and energy issues. TIMKEN JR