IP/08/371
Brussels, 4 March 2008
Environment: Commissioner Dimas to visit Washington for High-Level Dialogue with U.S. European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas will participate in the EU-U.S. High-Level Dialogue on climate change, clean energy and sustainable development in Washington on 7 March. Slovenian Environment Minister Janez Podobnik will represent the EU presidency. While in the US capital Commissioner Dimas will also give a speech at the World Environment Center and hold other high-level meetings. EU-U.S. High-Level Dialogue
The meeting will be the second EU-U.S. High-Level Dialogue on climate change, clean energy and sustainable development, a forum launched at the EU-U.S. summit in 2006. The first was held in Helsinki in October 2006.
The discussion on climate change and clean energy is expected to focus on domestic measures in the U.S. and EU to address climate change and on strengthening international cooperation in view of the formal negotiations on a new United Nations climate change agreement that will start at the end of March.
Commissioner Dimas will present the Commission's 23 January package of Climate Action and Renewable Energy (CARE) proposals (see IP/08/80, MEMO/08/34, MEMO/08/35, MEMO/08/36, MEMO/08/33). This major contribution to meeting the EU's climate change targets also sets an example for the international negotiations. The EU is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% of 1990 levels by 2020 and is ready to extend this cut to up to 30% if other industrialised countries commit to making comparable efforts under the future global climate agreement.
The Dialogue is also expected to cover measures to address the loss of biodiversity and illegal logging, including last year's G8+5 initiative to draw up a major report on the economics of biodiversity loss, the Commission's forest law enforcement, governance and trade action plan (FLEGT) and the US Presidential Initiative against Illegal Logging.
Other events
On 6 March Commissioner Dimas will address the World Environment Center's Washington Sustainability Forum. He will also host a dinner for members of Congress active on environmental issues as well as representatives of US environmental organisations, think tanks and business groups.
Commissioner Dimas will hold a press breakfast for invited media on 7 March.
