VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBS #0881 1770812
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 260812Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9122

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 000881 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EEB/ESC MONOSSON, OES/EGC G THOMPSON, AND IO//EDA 
R WEBBER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG KGHG SENV BE
SUBJECT: BELGIUM: NO DECISION ON IRENA MEMBERSHIP 
 
REF: STATE 61286 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Econoff raised reftel points on June 25 with 
Ambassador Philippe Nieuwenhuys, head of the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs' energy unit.  Nieuwenhuys said Belgium is 
not yet in a position to join the International Renewable 
Energy Agency (IRENA).  Because of Belgium's political 
system, the federal government must gain agreement with the 
country's three regional governments -- Brussels, Flanders, 
and Wallonia.  However, the federal government was unable to 
gain the regions' approval leading up to regional elections 
that took place in early June 2009, and now must wait for the 
regions to form new governments and name ministers before it 
can reprise discussions.  There is no way of knowing when the 
regional governments will be formed, although conventional 
wisdom is that it will be sometime later this summer or this 
fall.  Nieuwenhuys said that the federal government and 
regional governments still need to work out the modalities 
for representation at IRENA, as well as how to coordinate 
regional and federal policies. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Nieuwenhuys told econoff Germany had been pushing 
hard on its neighbors, including Belgium, to join IRENA and 
to support Germany's bid to host the Secretariat. 
Nieuwenhuys also indicated that Belgium was still not 
completely sure what IRENA's focus would be, although Germany 
has told them that IRENA will focus on renewable energy 
cooperation with developing countries.  As Belgium's current 
development assistance program has already been approved by 
Parliament, with renewable energy cooperation not on the list 
of approved projects or programs, Nieuwenhuys was unsure what 
Belgium might be able to do at IRENA in the short term, even 
if political agreement to sign is forthcoming. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Nieuwenhuys appeared surprised that the USG was 
supporting the United Arab Emirate's bid, but said he 
understood France is also supporting the UAE.  Belgium has 
not decided which country to support, he said.  Belgium will 
have a three-person delegation at the IRENA meetings in 
Egypt, he said -- one from the MFA, one from the Flemish 
regional government, and someone from the Energy Deparment of 
the federal government's Ministry of Economy. 
 
BUSH 
.