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Viewing cable 06BERLIN2743, ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY: GERMANY READY TO TALK

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06BERLIN2743 2006-09-15 17:44 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Berlin
VZCZCXRO4799
OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHHM RUEHIK RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHRL #2743/01 2581744
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151744Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5294
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI IMMEDIATE 0113
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE 1645
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE 0914
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE 1327
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0387
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 002743 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PASS CEQ - BANKS, AND EPA - MEDEARIS, DEPT FOR OES AND 
EB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ENRG EAIR GM
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY: GERMANY READY TO TALK 
BUSINESS AT CSD, HIGH LEVEL DIALOGUE 
 
REF: BERLIN 2548 
 
 1.  Summary.  Officials in the international division of the 
Environment Ministry emphasize the Chancellery's desire to 
link environmental and economic issues will shape Germany's 
bilateral dialogue with the U.S. on climate change as well as 
Germany's contributions to the upcoming High Level Dialogue 
on Climate, Energy and Sustainable Development.  The linkages 
between economics and environment will also help determine 
where Germany stands in the UN Commission on Sustainable 
Development as well as Germany's agenda during the G-8 and EU 
presidencies.  In each context, the officials noted the value 
of dialogue between business and government.  Environment 
Ministry officials state Germany's goal for the CSD-15 is 
integrating energy into sustainability planning by 2010.  The 
Environment Ministry is also interested in a good result from 
the High Level Dialogue and hopes to move it forward during 
Germany's EU presidency in 2007.  A major EU Presidency 
priority for the Environment Ministry will be energy 
efficiency.  Environment Ministry officials also used the 
September 14 meeting to inquire about U.S. interest in 
hosting the next meeting in the Bonn Renewables process 
during 2007 and described what they perceive as initial 
interest from the United Arab Emirates in a long-term 
dialogue on advancing renewable energy.  Finally, officials 
announced Ministry of Environment State Secretary Machnig 
will travel to Washington October 5-6.  End Summary. 
 
------------------- 
LET'S TALK BUSINESS 
------------------- 
 
2.  Economics Minister Counselor, Global Affairs Officer, and 
EUR/AGS Desk Officer for Economic and Global Affairs Issues 
met September 14 with German Ministry of Environment's (BMU) 
Stephan Contius, Director for United Nations and Cooperation 
with Developing Countries, Bert-Axel Szelinski, Director for 
Cooperation with OECD Member States, and Dr. Martin Schoepe, 
from the division on International and EU Affairs of 
Renewable Energy.  Contius opened by referring to the Energy 
Summit process Chancellor Merkel convened in April and 
stressing the Chancellery wants to see a strong linkage 
between environment and the economy.  Environmental 
innovation -- particularly in the areas of energy efficiency 
and clean energy -- can play an important role in boosting 
the German economy.  The Environment Ministry is on board 
with this approach and is taking concrete steps to foster 
investment in clean energy technology, for example by 
creating a unit to help German clean energy companies enter 
foreign markets.  Szelinski commented that he had been in a 
meeting that day with a visiting delegation from the American 
Chamber of Commerce EU and found that U.S. industry 
representatives are more accepting than he had thought 
regarding environmental policies such as cutting energy 
consumption.  He suggested the U.S. and Germany encourage EU 
industries and their U.S. counterparts to establish a 
dialogue on energy efficiency, since there is already 
considerable progress being made at the industrial level that 
can help shape government policies. 
 
-------------------- 
AS G-8, EU PRESIDENT 
-------------------- 
 
3.  Szelinski said the environmental goal of the German G-8 
Presidency is "going from the important multilateral language 
of Gleneagles to concrete action."  Energy efficiency will be 
a main focus, he said, because the Chancellery has political 
interest in energy efficiency and its links to innovation and 
economic stimulation. 
 
4.  The Environment Ministry also plans an EU Environment 
Ministers' conference on the international aspects of energy 
efficiency during the first half of February 2007.  The 
German government would welcome U.S. ideas on steps we have 
taken to boost energy efficiency, such as the Energy Star 
program.  EMIN pointed out other related efforts underway in 
the U.S. as well to cut energy consumption.  Although Contius 
said the Environment Ministry still has to work out with the 
other ministries what concrete results they will seek during 
the EU presidency, one possibility is an "energy roadmap" for 
 
BERLIN 00002743  002 OF 002 
 
 
increasing energy efficiency and use of renewables by EU 
members, as described in reftel. 
 
--------- 
AT CSD-15 
--------- 
 
5.  Contius mentioned his involvement in the EU troika 
dialogue on energy leading up to the CSD-15.  He will meet 
counterparts from Finland, the European Commission, and the 
U.S., plus the Austrian Vice Minister for Energy in Helsinki 
on September 19.  Contius said Germany supports the proposal 
made at CSD-14 in May 2006 that energy be integrated into 
national sustainability planning by 2010.  The integration of 
water sanitation into sustainability planning provides a good 
model, he continued.  Contius said Germany wants to build on 
this idea by suggesting at CSD-15 that members create a list 
of national commitments on sustainable energy practices by 
2010.  He sid the list could serve as an "action program," 
ut noted that both the name of the list and the 201 date 
are open for discussion. 
 
------------------------- 
AT THE HIGH LEVEL DIALOGUE 
------------------------- 
 
6.  Contius recognizes the Hgh Level Dialogue (HLD) is in 
its early stages, ut said the Environment Ministry is 
interested in a good result right from the start.  EMIN 
stressd the intent of the HLD is to discuss climate, energy, 
and sustainable development in an integrated way and that it 
is important all relevant interests be represented.  The 
Environment Ministry officials all agreed with this 
statement, noting the Chancellor's energy summit process 
takes a similar view to the Ministries of Economics and 
Environment sharing ground where climate and energy issues 
intersect. 
 
----------------------- 
BONN RENEWABLES PROCESS 
----------------------- 
 
7.  Schoepe reiterated interest in the U.S. hosting the next 
meeting in the Bonn Renewables Process, which began in 2004. 
He said Germany would be willing to contribute to financing 
the conference and said it is important the conference be a 
government-sponsored event to which stakeholders and NGOs are 
invited.  He was concerned corporate sponsorship of this 
event would have -- or would be seen to have -- undue 
influences over the event's proceedings.  Emboffs argued this 
need not be the case. 
 
8.  Contius sees potential political value of the U.S. 
hosting another meeting in the Bonn Process: he said Germany 
and the United Arab Emirates have signed an MOU on technology 
cooperation in the areas in energy and renewables.  By 
holding the next renewables meeting, he suggested the U.S. 
might be able to persuade the UAE to host the following one, 
which would have great symbolic value.  Cooperation on clean 
and more efficient energy technology is of interest to Abu 
Dhabi as part of its long-term development strategy, he 
continued, and the U.S. and Germany should seize the moment 
to further this interest. 
 
------------------------------------- 
STATE SECRETARY MACHNIG TO WASHINGTON 
------------------------------------- 
 
9.  Environment Ministry State Secretary Matthias Machnig 
will travel to Washington October 5-6.  He will look to have 
meetings at Departments of State and Energy, as well as at 
the EPA.  The German Embassy is arranging his program. 
Topics for discussion will be Germany's upcoming EU and G-8 
presidencies, as well as how to further bilateral cooperation 
with the U.S. on climate and energy issues. 
 
 
TIMKEN JR