VZCZCXRO5094
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHFR #1330 1931650
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111650Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3737
RUEAEPA/EPA WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEBAAA/USDOE WASHDC
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES

UNCLAS PARIS 001330 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG SENV FR EU
SUBJECT:  SARKOZY'S PRIORITIES FOR ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY DURING 
FRENCH EU PRESIDENCY 
 
REF:  Paris 1314 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  France has made energy and climate change the top 
priority for its EU Presidency. The EU Work Program, recent actions 
by the European Parliament, and the meetings of Environment and 
Energy Ministers from the 27 member countries shed further light on 
the French Presidency's objectives as well as the EU climate and 
energy package to be completed by the end of 2008. End Summary. 
¶2. (U) The GOF has outlined four priorities for its EU Presidency: 
energy and climate; migration issues; agriculture; and security and 
defense, with energy and climate at the forefront.  The French EU 
Presidency is committed to finalizing a climate/energy package that 
will constitute a basis for an ambitious EU policy to combat climate 
change and transition to a low carbon economy.  Its goal is to 
complete the package by the end of the year.  The EU supports a 
global agreement on greenhouse gas emissions that would reduce 
emissions by 30 percent below 1990 levels in order to stabilize 
global warming at 2 degrees celsius above preindustrial levels. 
 
¶3. (U) The European Union agreed in March 2007 to three key 
objectives:  reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent 
by 2020, and by 30 percent if other major emitters are bound by an 
international agreement; increase the renewable energy sources of EU 
energy consumption to 20 percent by 2020; and improve energy 
efficiency by 20 percent by 2020.  The French Presidency is working 
to implement this 20/20/20 proposal. 
 
¶4. (U) On July 3-5, the First Council of Environmental Ministers met 
in St. Cloud where MEEDDAT French Minister Borloo announced that he 
will do everything he can to obtain an international agreement in 
Copenhagen to reduce GHG emissions by 30 percent. The Ministers 
clarified that the previously established EU goal in January of 2007 
to increase biofuels in transport to 10 percent by 2020 has been 
misinterpreted and that it, in fact, applies to all renewable 
energies and is not limited to biofuels.  This, combined with the 
European Parliament Environment Committee's vote on July 7 to scale 
down the proposed EU-wide biofuels target for 2020 to 4 percent by 
2015, reflects a reexamination of EU biofuels policy in light of 
increasing EU concern that biofuels may result in rising food 
prices, water shortages and deforestation. (Comment: These changes 
could affect the level of investment and research by companies 
seeking out alternative biofuels.) 
¶5. (U) The Ministers discussed revisions to the EU's Emissions 
Trading Scheme (EU-ETS), including allocation of carbon emissions 
and the inclusion of additional industries such as aviation and 
aluminum.  All the member states agreed that solidarity and 
flexibility were desirable but there was no agreement on which 
approach should be taken. Divergent views emerged on the threshold 
reference year for measuring carbon emissions reductions. 
Discussions also focused on how manufactured products from non-EU 
countries would be treated. (Note: On July 9, the EU Parliament 
voted in favor of including aviation emissions in the EU-ETS). 
Additional reporting can be found in Reftel. 
 
¶6. (U) Additionally, the French Presidency seeks to enhance EU 
energy security by enhancing efficiency, increasing security of 
supply, and decreasing external energy dependence while promoting 
European economic competitiveness.   The EU plans to enhance its 
energy efficiency in various areas such as standby electrical 
appliances, energy saving light bulbs and energy efficient 
buildings.  The EU also plans to diversify its sources of energy and 
enhance international energy partnerships with major energy 
producing, transiting, and consuming countries.  More details on 
these plans are expected from the Commission in the fall of 2008. 
 
¶7. (U) Next steps.  France hopes to obtain member agreement on the 
energy/climate package by December 2008 with final adoption of the 
needed directives by Spring of 2009, well before the Copenhagen 
Climate Change Conference. 
 
¶8.  (U) Comment: The EU Ministers of Environment and Energy made 
considerable progress and the French EU Presidency achieved broad 
support on its goals to combat climate change.  Although there has 
been considerable consensus on broad principles, substantial work 
remains to be done to obtain consensus from all 27 EU member 
countries on the final climate/energy package and the details for 
implementation of the 20/20/20 goals. 
 
STAPLETON