GERMANY TO ATTEND JANUARY 30 MEM DESPITE MISGIVINGS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 000038 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ: CONNAUGHTON, SCHMIDT, LADT NSC FOR DAN PRICE, JONATHAN SCHRIER STATE FOR "G" - DOBRIANKSY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV KGHG ENRG PGOV PREL GM SUBJECT: GERMANY TO ATTEND JANUARY 30 MEM DESPITE MISGIVINGS REF: 07 LONDON 00069 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Germany will send a delegation to the January 30 Major Economies Meeting (MEM) although they remain skeptical about the value-added that the Major Economies Process (MEP) brings to the UNFCCC process. German officials are expressing concerns about the frequency and scope of the MEP and want to avoid duplication of effort in the various climate change-related forums, including the UNFCCC and the G-8. While requesting a clearer articulation of the expected MEP deliverables, our interlocutors hope the MEP will avoid discussion of adaptation, deforestation or measurement. They also provided more information on German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel's comments during the recent UNFCCC conference in Bali. End Summary. -------------- The German Delegation to Hawaii -------------- ¶2. (SBU) German officials assured us Germany will be represented at the MEM, although the German delegation for Hawaii has not yet been finalized. German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel cannot got to Hawaii due to a previously scheduled trip to China. Environment State Secretary Matthias Machnig may go in his place, as will SIPDIS Karsten Sach, Deputy Director General for International Cooperation, and Carolin Zerger, Desk Officer for the Strategic Aspects of International Cooperation within the Environment Ministry. From the Foreign Ministry, either Reinhardt Krapp, head of the Environmental Issues Division, or his boss Viktor Elbling, Commissioner for International Energy Policy, Globalization and Sustainable Development, will attend. -------------- Concerns about Frequency and Scope of the MEP -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In post-Bali discussions with the Embassy, German officials have expressed concerns about the MEP, in particular the frequency of Major Economies Meetings. Sach told EconOff on January 3 that while "the U.S. has endless resources," other nations do not. Dr. Martin Bergfelder, climate change negotiator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, similarly claimed that many other MEP countries, including EU President Slovenia, do not have the resources to attend multiple climate change meetings. Sach wanted to know specifically how many MEP meetings would take place this year, and when. Bergfelder asked about the possibility of combining the proposed summer MEP summit with the G-8 summit in Japan. The MFA's Krapp suggested it would be better for German public perception if the MEP was seen to be guided by the G8 5 Gleneagles Process. Both Bergfelder and Krapp, in reference to a January 3 discussion between G-8 Sherpa Daniel Price and his German counterpart Bernd Pfaffenbach, asked whether MEP issues would now be a part of the first day of the Hokkaido summit. ¶4. (SBU) German officials want to limit the scope of the MEP to avoid duplication of negotiations in other fora. Sach, Bergfelder and Krapp all mentioned climate change issues being taken up in the UNFCCC process, the G-8, the OECD, US-EU talks, the Heiligendamm Process and various working groups. They feel it is necessary to clarify which process does what and to coordinate all the processes together. Sach said that "no one has a clear vision yet" for defining the scope and deliverables of each process. Echoing UK comments (reftel),Krapp asked, "What is the value-added of the MEP?" Zerger requested to know what, specifically, is expected of the MEP working groups. BERLIN 00000038 002 OF 002 ¶5. (SBU) Our interlocutors would prefer that the MEP not cover the issues of adaptation or deforestation. Since many countries most affected by these issues "are not at the table," Sach explained, "it would be unfair" to discuss these topics. Krapp said "we can advance (deforestation negotiations) under the G-8," given that the Forestry Carbon Partnership already exists. In addition, Sach, Zerger and Bergfelder all stressed that measurement should fall under the UNFCCC, and existing international standards should be used. Finally, Sach and Bergfelder both noted that Germany would prefer to use existing funding institutions, like the World Bank, for financing the distribution of clean energy technologies. -------------- Context of Gabriel's Comments in Bali -------------- ¶6. (SBU) On December 13, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel captured international headlines when he suggested that EU member states might pull out of the MEP if mid-term climate reduction targets were not included in the Bali roadmap. Sach said the Germans considered issuance of the Hawaii MEP invitation during the first week of the Bali conference -- before any UNFCCC agreement had been reached -- to be premature since President Bush had "clearly committed to moving forward with both processes (UNFCCC and MEP)." Bergfelder said, "In the most diplomatic way possible, let me say that the negotiations were very very slow... it seemed U.S. negotiators only wanted to work through the MEP. This was not what was agreed to at Heiligendamm." Sach stressed that the EU had made its position clear in the conclusions of its Environment Council meetings and that the EU desire to include IPCC targets in the Bali roadmap did not represent a change in the EU position. Within the EU block, Bergfelder singled out France and Portugal as countries that helped prompt Gabriel's remarks. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (SBU) German climate change negotiators appear skeptical about the MEP, suspecting the U.S. is using it to undermine or at least drastically slow the pace of the UNFCCC process. Providing German policymakers with specific, focused deliverables and a more detailed vision of how MEP outcomes will feed into and support the UNFCCC process will help to convince Germany that the MEP truly does "add value." Embassy Berlin will continue to engage the Environment and Foreign Ministries, as well as the Federal Chancellery, to press our message. The January 21 visit of Harlan Watson also presents an excellent opportunity to address German concerns and enlist their support. TIMKEN JR