SLOVENIA WILL ASSOCIATE WITH COPENHAGEN ACCORD,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LJUBLJANA 000022 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CE, OES/EGC AND OES/ENV E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2020 TAGS: KGHG SENV ENRG KGCC ECON SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA WILL ASSOCIATE WITH COPENHAGEN ACCORD, OFFERS TO ASSIST THIRD COUNTRIES REF: A. STATE 3079 ¶B. 09 STATE 132367 ¶C. 09 LJUBLJANA 0301 Classified By: Pol-Econ Chief Yuriy R. Fedkiw, reasons 1.4 (b,d) 1.(SBU) SUMMARY: Slovenia plans to associate itself with the Copenhagen Accord and will follow Brussels' lead on EU emission reduction targets. The Government of Slovenia (GOS) remains concerned about how the EU plans to address internal burden sharing arrangements if the EU-wide targets were to rise to 30%. Ljubljana also plans to advocate on behalf of and support the Western Balkans as the region addresses climate change by promoting technical exchanges and environmental education programs. While the GOS is on board to move forward with addressing climate change on the international level, Ljubljana still has substantial work to do to reduce carbon emissions domestically. End Summary. MFA ON CLIMATE CHANGE, COPENHAGEN AND THE BALKANS 2.(SBU) On January 25, Pol-Econ Chief delivered reftel A demarche to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MFA) Global Challenges Division Head Ana Novak. Novak participated in the Copenhagen negotiations as a member of Slovenia's delegation. Novak said that Slovenia would associate itself with the Copenhagen Accord and will follow the EU emission reduction target of 20% from 1990 levels, which could potentially increase to 30% if other developed countries committed themselves to comparable measures. She added that Slovenia greatly appreciated President Obama's leadership in Copenhagen, noting that the President "was the only leader who realized what was going on," especially since the EU "was not unified enough" during the negotiations. 3.(SBU) According to Novak, Slovenia places climate change action very high on its agenda when meeting with its neighbors and third countries. Slovenia plans to cooperate with the Western Balkans specifically in this area, due to the challenges Copenhagen presents to the region. Novak explained that the EU was setting very high standards. As a result, the Western Balkans were very worried about how the Accord might affect their domestic industries. Novak added that climate change was overshadowed in the region by higher priorities such as poverty alleviation and capacity building. As a result, Ljubljana is making the pitch that Copenhagen is not an end in itself, but rather an important path forward that has greater implications not just for climate change, but also for the region's economy and international relations. Because of its close connections to the region, Slovenia plans to advocate on behalf of the Western Balkans as the climate change discussion moves forward. LEAD CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATOR ON ADDING VALUE TO PROCESS 4.(SBU) On January 26, Pol-Econ Chief met with Slovenia's lead climate change negotiator Andrej Kranjc, who is the Head of the International Cooperation Department in Slovenia's Government Office for Climate Change. Kranjc also participated in the Copenhagen negotiations and has been very active on the international stage, serving previously as the Vice President of COP6 and COP7 as well as the Chair of the EU Council's Working Party for International Environmental Issues and Climate Change during Slovenia's EU Presidency in ¶2008. Kranjc confirmed what Novak had said the day before about Slovenia's intentions to associate itself with the Accord prior to the January 31 deadline. He also reiterated that while Slovenia would follow the EU's lead on specific targets, Ljubljana remained concerned about how the EU would address internal burden sharing if the targets moved from 20 to 30 percent. 5.(C) While discussing the added value Slovenia could provide in convincing as many countries as possible to associate themselves with the Accord, Kranjc asked about Washington's plans to address the challenge of bringing the objecting countries on board. Kranjc explained that he had informally chatted with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on several occasions during the Copenhagen negotiations. According to Kranjc, Chavez appeared to be completely disinterested with the discussion on hand -- instead of discussing climate change, Chavez talked about Marxism, Lenin and socialism. Bolivian President Evo Morales was a "bit more onboard," but Kranjc lamented that he was too far under Chavez's influence to be constructive. Kranjc agreed that it might help if more "neutral" countries delivered to the objecting countries the message that the Copenhagen Accord was a significant step forward in combating global climate change. Slovenia could LJUBLJANA 00000022 002 OF 002 potentially add value to the process by using its relationships with third countries to approach Sudan, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Bolivia on this issue. COMMENT 6.(SBU) Slovenia is committed to addressing climate change and moving forward with the Copenhagen Accord. Its willingness to assist the Western Balkans and put Copenhagen high on the agenda during discussions with other countries is an indication that Slovenia continues to seek a greater role for itself on the global stage. While Slovenia has committed itself on the international level, it has yet to identify an acceptable mechanism to reduce carbon emissions domestically. The GOS will need to produce a coherent renewable energy policy, resolve the problem of massive carbon emissions from freight trucks transiting through Slovenia, and address criticism from NGOs regarding emissions from operating and planned coal power plants in country. End comment. FREDEN