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