GERMANY MAY NAME OFFICIAL DELEGATES TO THE METHANE

UNCLAS BERLIN 001026 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR AGS, OES PLEASE PASS TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: FERLAND E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV KGHG ENRG EUN GM SUBJECT: GERMANY MAY NAME OFFICIAL DELEGATES TO THE METHANE TO MARKETS PARTNERSHIP SOON REF: A. 07 STATE 46836 ¶B. 06 STATE 52612 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The U.S. Embassy in Berlin has repeatedly engaged German Environment Ministry (BMU) officials to encourage their active participation in the Methane to Markets (M2M) Partnership. While Germany became a Partner Country to the Partnership in July 2006, it has yet submit the names of its representatives for the Steering Committee or any of the four Subcommittees and it has yet to send official delegates to any committee meetings. BMU contacts recently told the Embassy that this situation may change soon. ¶2. (SBU) Since summer 2006, the Embassy has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to encourage Germany's active engagement in the Partnership. In November 2007, the BMU sent Stefan Lechtenboehmer, co-Director of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, on their behalf to attend the M2M Expo in China. However, no government officials have attended any M2M committee meetings. ¶3. (SBU) EMBOFFs meet with Martin Schoepe, Head of Division, and Axel Conrads, Desk Officer, from the Energy, Environment and Project-Based Mechanisms division of the BMU's International and EU Affairs office June 26. Conrads and Schoepe confirmed that Germany supports the M2M Partnership but that the Environment Ministry is understaffed to the point that they cannot devote more resources to it at this time. Both Conrads and Schoepe stressed that Germany has no issue with the Methane to Markets Partnership itself. Schoepe said that he expected to receive additional funding in the fall that would allow for him to hire another employee and that the M2M Partnership would be a central part of this new employee's portfolio. Schoepe and Conrads were unable to provide the Embassy with a list of its representatives to the Steering Committee or any of the four Subcommittees (agriculture, coal mines, landfills, and oil and gas systems). ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: However, the Embassy continues to press this issue and is therefore hopeful that the Environment Ministry may re-focus its engagement ahead of the next Steering Committee meeting in January 2009. END COMMENT. KOENIG