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DE RUEHLJ #0108/01 0651559
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051559Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6512
INFO RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LJUBLJANA 000108 
 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON SENV ENRG BEXP PREL SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIAN NGOs ENGAGE ON CLIMATE AND DEVELOPMENT 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
¶1.  (SBU) On February 27, two local non-governmental organizations 
(NGOs) organized a roundtable entitled "Climate and Development" to 
bring attention to the growing concerns in Slovenia regarding 
climate change.  The roundtable attracted senior-level politicians 
and experts from the field of climate change as panelists, including 
Environment Minister Janez Podobnik, who made a pitch for stronger 
intellectual property rights (IPR) protection in developing 
countries to protect the innovation necessary to address climate 
change.  The panelists all concurred that the global situation is 
alarming and that advances in clean technology are essential to 
sustainable development.  While all panelists lauded U.S. efforts at 
the recent UN Bali meeting and U.S. organization of the Major 
Economies Meeting (MEM), Slovenia's national coordinator for climate 
change, Andrej Kranjc, commented that the U.S. insistence on 
accountability from China and India was not a realistic expectation. 
 End Summary. 
 
NGO Brings Stakeholders Together 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The round table, explained NGO Focus President Lydia 
Zivcic, was funded by the [EU] Presidency Fund and European 
Commission as part of an EU-wide series of projects addressing 
climate change and sustainable development called "Safeguarding 
Climate While Developing?  Yes, it's Possible."  The roundtable, 
organized by Focus and Sloga, brought together senior officials from 
the Ministries of Environment, Foreign Affairs, European Affairs; 
climate specialists; NGOs; and the business community to discuss the 
impact of climate change globally and domestically.  Among the 
eleven speakers were Minister Podobnik, Slovenia's representative to 
the MEM Andrej Kranjc, and member of the Nobel Prize-winning 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Professor Luca 
Kajfez Bogataj. 
 
New Energy Technology is theKey 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)In his remarks, Minister Podobnik praised the prodctive 
dialogue that has taken place amongst govenments but also cautioned 
that serious barriers xist to achieving sustainable development. 
Podobnk commended the U.S. for its active participation uring the 
UN Bali meeting on climate change and lso for initiating the 
January Major Economies Meeting (MEM).  Although Podobnik said he 
believed that clean energy will help the developed world reduce its 
carbon footprint, he warned that weak intellectual property rights 
protection (IPR) in some developing countries could slow down 
beneficial technology transfers to countries who need them the most. 
 He cited China as a country with a very "creative" interpretation 
of IPR, making fair and effective implementation and installation of 
clean technologies very difficult.  However, Podobnik stated that 
limiting the climate change effects is crucial to global sustainable 
development and that the EU plays an important role as the most 
firmly committed of all the players to achieving positive goals. 
 
Clean and Sustainable? 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Several panelists emphasized the interconnected 
consequences to pursuing clean energy.  Marko Hren from the 
Government's Office for Development expressed his concern that 
agriculture has embraced biofuels to the detriment of arable land 
and food crops.  He informed the participants that the EU will 
adjust its target of 10 percent of energy consumption from biofuels 
to include only those biofuels made according to "sustainable 
principles."  As another mechanism for raising awareness among the 
general public, Hren mentioned that in the EU there is a proposal 
for "eco labeling," which will mandate labeling the amount of 
greenhouse gases produced per gram of product.  Hren ended by saying 
that the EU is working on establishing appropriate standards that 
will enable financial incentives and tax breaks for reducing carbon 
emissions. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ales Verdir, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
highlighted the necessity for global cooperation to address some of 
the political consequences to climate change.  Verdir explained 
that, for the first time, the number of environmental migrants (e.g. 
from droughts, floods) exceeded the number of war migrants. 
 
Slovenia Faces Challenges to Clean Energy Goals 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6. (SBU) On the home front, Slovenia is below the average carbon 
footprint per capita, but some experts are concerned that Slovenia 
will have difficulty reaching the new EU targets as outlined in the 
Climate and Renewable Energy package (CARE).  Verdir said that 
 
LJUBLJANA 00000108  002 OF 002 
 
 
although Slovenia's 10 ton per person per year carbon footprint is 
below the developed nations' average, Slovenia has limited natural 
and technological resources to reduce its emissions.  Dimitrij 
Grcar, from the Ministry of Economy, expressed concern that Slovenia 
also lacks a centralized agency or fund dealing with climate change 
issues.  Currently, he noted, each ministry has a working group or a 
person assigned to climate change-related issues, which makes it 
difficult for the GOS to respond cohesively and strongly to climate 
change. 
 
Border Barriers to Nuclear Energy 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Vekoslav Korosec, from the Slovene Chamber of Commerce, 
stated that nuclear energy is a good option for Slovenia, but only 
in the long term.  He said construction of the second part of the 
nuclear power plant in Krsko will not be possible until 2020 because 
of the complicated technical procedures.  However, other panelists 
disagreed that nuclear energy is a viable option.  They pointed out 
that the construction of a nuclear plant is only possible with the 
consent of all neighbors.  Korosec explained that Austrians strongly 
oppose Slovenia's expansion plan for the existing nuclear plant, and 
plan to hold Slovenia to its pledge from 1991 not to build another 
nuclear plant.  (Comment.  Slovenia currently has one nuclear power 
plant, built in the municipality of Krsko in 1981.  When Slovenia 
was seeking recognition of its sovereignty in 1991, Austria 
extracted a promise that if Austria recognized Slovenia, Slovenia 
would not build another nuclear plant.  In meetings with emboffs, 
the GOS has often discussed the need to expand nuclear energy as a 
clean energy solution but had not mentioned the agreement with 
Austria as a barrier.  Ironically, Austria purchases energy 
generated from Slovenia's nuclear plant.  End comment.) 
 
Slovenia Looks to New Technology 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In finding solutions for reaching Slovenia's goal of 
reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, Korosec expounded on the 
necessity of new technologies.  Without them, he declared, success 
is impossible.  He said Slovenia needs technologies that will enable 
more efficient use of energy and new sources of energy.  According 
to Korosec, Slovenia already imports 20 percent of its energy and 
increasing imports would not be considered strategically wise.  He 
warned that, if the situation in Slovenia does not drastically 
change, power reductions like those experienced in the late 60s and 
70s might become a reality again. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Slovenia is at a crossroads where it needs to fuel 
economic growth while achieving climate policy goals.  Due to 
limited natural resources and stringent restrictions because of 
concerns about environmental impacts, Slovenia's hydropower, which 
produces 30 percent of its energy, has no capacity to grow.  Another 
difficulty for Slovenia is that the GOS is subsidizing 
energy-guzzling industries because they provide jobs in economically 
depressed areas of Slovenia.  Two large industrial users, the 
aluminum factory Talum and the nitrogen factory Tovarna Dusika Ruse, 
consume 20 percent of the nation's energy while contributing 
significantly less than 20 percent to the gross domestic product 
(GDP).  Hopefully, looking at the commercial impact of climate 
issues will not only spur Slovenia to seek new energy technologies, 
but also compel it to move faster to adopt economic reforms that 
will increase foreign investment in Slovenia and attract high-value 
business. 
 
COLEMAN