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PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSM #0069/01 0351518
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041518Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4079
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000069 
 
OES FOR TODD STERN AND CLIMATE TEAM 
 
OES FOR THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION 
 
DOE FOR EERE DAS DAVID RODGERS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV KGHG PREL SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN PREPARES TO LEAD ON CLIMATE ISSUES DURING EU 
PRESIDENCY -- WITH OPEN, FRIENDLY ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE U.S. 
 
¶1. This cable contains action requests at para 8. 
 
¶2. Summary.  The Government of Sweden is organized to actively lead 
the EU during its Presidency, with the climate issue as its top 
priority -- and no close second.  In a February 2 meeting between 
Embassy and Sweden's top climate officials, the tone towards the 
U.S. was open and friendly, and officials are keenly awaiting signs 
from the U.S. on our positions.  EU positions are openly-worded at 
this point, they said, awaiting signals from Washington.  Having 
said that, they cautioned that the "train is leaving the station" -- 
with substantive texts already circulating in the UNFCCC working 
groups.  This cable lists some of the identified opportunities to 
engage with the GOS, and offers an extra opportunity in Washington 
on April 20-21.  End summary. 
 
¶3. Charge, Copenhagen ESTH hub officer Erik Hall, and Embassy 
officials met with two of Sweden's top climate officials on February 
2: Ambassador Staffan Tillander, the Environment Ministry's 
Ambassador on Climate Change, and Lars-Erik Liljelund, Director 
General in the PM's office for climate policy and the Baltic Sea 
Strategy.  They discussed opportunities for engagement in the coming 
months: 
 
-- Last week of March, Washington: Sweden's Environment Minister 
Andreas Carlgren is planning to visit Washington D.C. together with 
his Czech counterpart (current and incoming Presidency of the EU). 
Current thinking is for them to visit the U.S. after the Nairobi 
meetings, in the last week of March (March 30-April 3). 
 
-- April 16-20, Italy: G20 Environment Ministers meeting in 
Syracuse, April 16-20. 
 
-- April 22, Washington:  Liljelund told us about a seminar which 
the GOS will host in the House of Sweden, in Washington, D.C. on 
April 22.  The seminar will report on the findings of a climate 
change study involving RFF, Resources for the Future, and Swedish 
and European institutions.  State Secretary for Energy Ola Altera 
will participate in a policy panel in the afternoon on April 22. 
 
-- Around May 20, Washington: Environment Minister Carlgren will 
visit Brazil in the week of May 18, after which he hopes to travel 
again to the U.S.  The trip will conclude with a stop in Iceland for 
a Nordic Environment Ministers' meeting May 25-26 the following 
week. 
 
-- July 8-10, Italy: The G8 Summit in La Maddalena on July 8-10, 
where Sweden will participate as the EU Presidency country. 
 
-- July 23-25, Sweden: The GOS will invite Secretary of Energy 
Steven Chu to participate in the EU Energy and Environment Ministers 
Council in Are (northern Sweden) July 23-25.  The formal invitation 
letter will go out shortly.  The UNFCCC Secretariat has confirmed 
that Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer will also attend the meeting. 
 
-- September, New York: The Swedish Consulate in New York is working 
actively to organize a high-level event on climate change in New 
York in connection with UNGA.  The ambition is to offer an event 
which can demonstrate U.S.-EU willingness to work together on the 
climate issue. 
 
 
¶4. Liljelund asked when the USG position on climate change 
negotiations will be clear.  The EU Council Conclusions, which will 
come in March and June, will need to be open-worded, awaiting U.S. 
signals, Liljelund opined.  Tillander cautioned that the "train is 
already rolling", with negotiations over concrete texts in the 
UNFCCC working groups underway already in February, for example on 
long-term cooperative action.  Liljelund and Tillander said that we 
need to let each other know what to expect from each other. 
 
¶5. The EU Council Conclusions in March will elaborate on financing 
aspects.  The June Council Conclusions will need to be more 
concrete.  During the Swedish Presidency, there will be an EU Summit 
in early November, which will deal with the Lisbon Treaty and 
climate change; and then the last Summit of the year which will take 
place during the negotiation sessions of COP-15.  That will be the 
last opportunity to change the negotiation mandate.  Liljelund told 
us the GOS will closely monitor, and interpret, U.S. signals and 
actions in the climate area. 
 
¶6. Regarding the internal Swedish climate change organization, 
Liljelund noted that Environment Minister Carlgren has primary 
responsibility.  Due to the many Heads of State opportunities this 
year, including COP-15 which PM Reinfeldt will definitely attend, 
the PM's office needs to be closely involved as well.  Anders 
 
STOCKHOLM 00000069  002 OF 002 
 
 
Turesson from the Environment Ministry will remain in his position 
as Sweden's chief negotiator. 
 
¶7. Liljelund told us that the GOS is working closely with its Danish 
counterparts.  This is aided by a close personal relationship 
between the two PM's.  An official in the PM's office works 
half-time for the Danish Environment Ministry.  Liljelund commented 
that the Danes will "distance themselves a little" from the EU as 
COP-15 draws closer -- in its role of UN host, whereas Sweden will 
be at COP-15 representing the EU. 
 
¶8. Action requests: 
 
-- Tillander told us the G20 Environment Ministers will meet in 
Syracuse, Italy, April 16-20.  The GOS expressed interest in knowing 
who will head the U.S. delegation to the meeting. 
-- While reviewing meeting opportunities prior to COP-15, we 
discussed the possible opportunity to compare notes on climate 
policy on the margins of the Joint Committee meeting under the 
Umbrella Science and Technology Agreement between Sweden and the 
U.S. -- which will take place at the State Department on April 
20-21.  Our GOS interlocutors expressed interest in pursuing this 
possibility.  Post would appreciate hearing about interest in such 
an opportunity from main State. 
 
SILVERMAN