Commissionner Wallström comments on transatlantic environment cooperation

Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström visited Washington this week to give new impetus to transatlantic co-operation on environmental issues. She attended the first formal meeting of the EU-US High Level Representatives on Climate Change on Tuesday 23 April and launched a Study Group on Climate Change at the EU Center of Washington DC. The Commissioner's busy programme provided for a series of meetings with key US officials (J. Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, C. Whitman, EPA Administrator, P. J. Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, and A. P. Larson, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs). The Commissioner also had meetings on Capitol Hill and met with representatives from civil society, private sector and academic circles.

At a press conference in Washington today, Commissioner Wallström said:

"We need to revitalize cooperation between the EU and the US on certain environmental issues. This visit has been a useful launch pad to move our cooperation forward. Obviously, we do not agree on everything and we have different approaches to tackling environmental problems. The Kyoto Protocol is one notable example. But we do need to work together on climate change and we have now identified some areas for joint co-operation. We have also agreed to work closer together in the preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development and on environment and health."

She added: "I have also been pleased to see that so many US stakeholders are committed to stronger action on environmental issues."

HIGHLIGHTS

Climate Change

• Although, the EU and US continue to differ in approaches to climate change notably regarding the Kyoto Protocol, the meeting of EU-US High Level Representatives and subsequent bilateral meetings provided for a useful discussion and identified areas for potential co-operation including in the area of science and research and in the measurement, monitoring and verification of greenhouse gas emissions and market-based incentives.

• On the World Summit on Sustainable Development, there was agreement on the need to bring a sense of urgency into the preparatory process to ensure a successful outcome at the Johannesburg Summit as well as for the implementation gap to be addressed through Partnerships. Agreement was also reached on the need to explore prospects for co-operation in developing partnerships on issues such as access to clean water and sanitation, access to energy and increased use of renewable energy sources.

• Children's Environment and Health - Commissioner Wallström and Governor Whitman agreed to enhance bilateral co-operation in this important area. While, the immediate priority is to ensure that Children's environmental health features as a theme at WSSD, this will also be an area for further bilateral co-operation between the European Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.

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• EU-US Joint Statement on climate change (23/4/2002)
• Commissioner Wallström's speech on WSSD (18/4/2002)
• Results of G8 Environment meeting (15/4/2002)
• G8 Environment Ministers meeting: On the Road to Johannesburg (12/4/2002)
• Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol (4/3/2002)
• Commissioner Wallström's speech on Global Sustainability (26/2/2002)