VZCZCXRO8340
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDF RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHIK RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHMA
RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHTM RUEHTRO
DE RUEHBS #1031 2091443
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281443Z JUL 09
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 001031 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EIND ENRG EUN EWWT KGHG SENV TPHY TRGY
TSPL 
SUBJECT: EU MEMBER STATES APPEAR EXCITED ABOUT NBT, EVEN IF 
THEY DO NOT KNOW IT EXISTS 
 
REF: A. STOCKHOLM 202 
     ¶B. STATE 64364 
     ¶C. STOCKHOLM 399 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  Sweden is moving forward with preparations 
to move the One Big Thing (OBT) initiative, which exists 
between Embassy Stockholm and the Government of Sweden to 
promote development of green technology through R&D and 
business partnerships, to the EU-level.  Some Member States 
are already interested in such an effort, proposing 
comparable ideas without knowledge of the proposal to expand 
OBT.  This interest should lend to wide support within the EU 
and to a successful launch.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) EU Member States, notably the new states since 2004, 
appear to be prepared and anxious to work with the United 
States on the Next Big Thing (NBT, a US proposal to highlight 
and spur transatlantic cooperation on green technologies thru 
the US-EU Energy Council, R&D cooperation and business 
partnerships; see reftels), even though they have little or 
no knowledge of the One Big Thing (OBT) in Sweden andduring the Swedish Presidenergy and environment offi Sweden for 
the inform Environment Ministers od to USEU EconOff a des United Stld 
deployment of new cle and in forming 
busine@ps with U.Ss searchingfor additional foreign 
investment and business-to-business partnerships.  Both 
Poland andSlovakia echoed the interest in partnerships 
Qather than one-way transfers, with Poland sayin that its 
companies want bilateral engagement with U.S. businesses to 
work together to bringtechnologies available only in the 
United States to Poland.  Both Poland and Slovakia havea 
wide range of interests, but both noted opportunities in 
energy efficiency as the cheapestpath to a low-carbon 
economy and in clean coa technologies. 
 
¶4. (SBU) More advanced MemberStates are also interested in 
new partnerships.  Germany made clear that transatlantic 
partnerships, both bilateral United States-Germany and United 
States-EU efforts, are important to transforming economies. 
Germany views both government-to-government and company 
cooperative projects as beneficial.  German officials 
directly asked about U.S. plans to expand cooperation or to 
initiate opportunities for new private business partnerships. 
 A Swedish WWF representative at the table then explained the 
concept of OBT, which German officials immediately indicated 
would be ideal to expand to Berlin.  Finland separately also 
noted interest in further partnerships, including on specific 
issues such as biofuels cooperation. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment.  With Sweden,s apparent interest in 
expanding OBT EU-wide, and the EU,s focus on developing 
eco-efficient economies (the focal point of the Energy 
Ministers, meetings), NBT should have wide support across 
the EU.  Several officials noted the public diplomacy 
benefits in the run-up to Copenhagen and beyond in addition 
to the mutual benefits of job creation and economic 
transformation.  Embassy Stockholm,s meeting with State 
Secretary Altera will set the stage for next steps, and USEU 
will engage, along with the Swedish Presidency in Brussels, 
the European Commission.  The expressed interest from several 
Member States will form a strong nucleus around which NBT can 
be developed.  End comment. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Embassy Stockholm cleared this cable. 
 
CHASE 
.