CHARGE DISCUSSES CLIMATE CHANGE, U.S.-EU SUMMIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LJUBLJANA 000126

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (TAGS ORDER, CLASS BY INFO)

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2018
TAGS: ENRG SENV KGHG EUN SI
SUBJECT: CHARGE DISCUSSES CLIMATE CHANGE, U.S.-EU SUMMIT
WITH ENVIRONMENT MINISTER


LJUBLJANA 00000126 001.3 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY CDA MARYRUTH COLEMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) & (D)

REF: A. REF A: STATE 24257

B. REF: B LJUBLJANA 00121

Summary
--------------

1. (C) On March 13, Charge met with Slovenian Minister of
Environment and Spatial Planning Janez Podobnik and ministry
spokesperson Emil Ferjancic--both of whom attended the March
7 U.S.-EU High-Level Dialogue (HLD) on Climate Change--to
discuss climate change issues with an eye to possible
deliverables for the U.S.-EU summit in June. Podobnik
expressed the hope that the U.S. and EU could work toward
addressing climate change in a constructive manner at the
summit. Charge noted that climate change discussions at the
summit could set the stage for a proposed Major Economies
Process (MEP) Leaders Meeting tentatively scheduled for July.
Charge highlighted that the U.S. and Slovenia are in
agreement on the need to engage the developing world in the
climate change debate and suggested that this could be a
potential area for cooperation. End Summary.

Planning for the U.S.-EU Summit
--------------


2. (C) Charge and Minister Podobnik discussed how climate
change would be addressed at the U.S.-EU summit to be held in
Ljubljana on June 9-10. The two agreed that the leaders
should discuss climate change at the summit and brainstormed
on areas of potential cooperation. Charge suggested that one
area of cooperation could focus on bringing the developing
world into the climate change debate. Charge commended
Slovenia on its efforts to engage the developing world on
climate change issues and said that the U.S. is interested in
the seminar proposed by Andrej Kranjc, the coordinator for
climate change issues at the Ministry of Environment and
Spatial Panning, that would bring the EU and several
developing countries together to discuss climate change
issues (ref A&B). Charge said that the U.S. and the EU might
disagree on the standard to which developing countries should
be held in terms of emissions reduction but that we agree
that the developing world should be actively engaged on the
issue. Minister Podobnik appeared very enthusiastic about
the idea of including a climate-related meeting or event at
the summit.

Optimistic about Future Global Agreement
--------------


3. (C) Minister Podobnik expressed his gratitude for the
opportunity to co-chair the EU delegation at the March 7 HLD
on climate change, which he hoped would be followed up with a
another U.S.-EU high-level dialogue to be held somewhere in
Europe next year. Podobnik described the dialogue as
fruitful and observed that the U.S. side appears far more
engaged on climate change issues than in the past. The
Minister told Charge that the international community must
work now to negotiate an agreement for the post-Kyoto period
starting in 2012 and that an agreement should be reached by
the UNFCCC meeting in Copenhagen in 2009. He said that the
MEP has advanced the climate change dialogue, but he stressed
that the only track for a future global agreement is the
UNFCCC. Podobnik added that he personally understands that
the MEP is designed to complement the UNFCCC process, but he
said this point needs to be better conveyed to developing
countries. Spokesperson Ferjancic said that the U.S. and EU
made significant progress at the UNFCCC meeting in Bali and
that the two sides now appear to agree on more than they
disagree. He criticized the international media for creating
artificial division and called on our respective governments
to highlight our similarities on the issue rather than focus
on the differences.

Mindful of U.S. Concerns
--------------


4. (C) Charge used the opportunity to reiterate U.S.
concerns, per ref A, that the EU would hold other Annex I
countries to the same ambitious emissions targets that it has
set for itself. Charge pointed out that several EU member
states would not be able to meet the EU emissions reduction
targets and that the EU could only meet its own targets by
"bubbling" the member states together to establish a
collective emissions rate. Podobnik took these concerns on
board and noted that the same arguments had been voiced at
the HLD. He acknowledged that the EU bubbling methodology
has its flaws and that it is an serious issue for the EU to
consider.


LJUBLJANA 00000126 002.3 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY CDA MARYRUTH COLEMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) & (D)

Commentary
--------------


5. (C) Slovenia has focused heavily on climate change during
the first two months of its presidency and has used its
position as president of the Council of the European Union to
place the issue high on the EU agenda. Slovenia has not,
however, taken a leadership role in steering EU policy on
climate change issues but instead has focused on encouraging
the discussion of these issues. Ljubljana appears much more
willing to follow the EU consensus than to take a leading
role on climate change policy and has allowed France to take
the lead policy role as it prepares for its own EU
presidency. (Note: France assumes the EU presidency in July
after Slovenia's term. End note.) Post and U.S.
interlocutors have urged Slovenian officials to redirect
certain aspects of the climate change debate within the EU,
and although they will hear us out, their typical response
has been to say that the EU position is well established and
that Slovenia does not have the influence to change the
collective stance.


6. (C) Minister Podobnik, whose Ministry for Spatial and
Environmental Planning is responsible for shaping the GoS's
position on climate change, is an affable interlocutor but
certainly not a driving authority on climate change issues.
He appears to rely heavily on his advisors for policy
guidance on climate change, particularly Ministry
spokesperson Ferjancic and Secretary for International
Relations Andrej Kranjc. Podobnik does not appear to be
well-briefed on the various initiatives being operated out of
his own ministry. The Minister confessed to Charge that he
knew little about the EU-Developing Country seminar that
Kranjc has been putting together. The Minister also faces
calls for his resignation from the Court of Audits, and Prime
Minister Jansa is under increasing pressure to follow through
with the dismissal. It remains to be seen how this dismissal
would affect Slovenia's EU presidency efforts on climate
change, but Andrej Kranjc admitted to emboff last month that
such a move would complicate existing efforts.
COLEMAN