E3G

Invitation: An EU Budget for fighting Climate Change?

By Jesse Scott

We are very pleased to publicise a discussion event in Paris, where we will be participating along with colleagues from IDDRI, IEEP, and Green Alliance:

Monday 16 June 2008, Conference from 5 to 7 pm

at Science Po, amphithéâtre Jean Moulin
13, rue de l’Université – Paris VII
(M° Saint-Germain-des-Près or Rue du Bac)

An EU Budget for fighting Climate Change?

Following public consultations, initiated in 2007 by the European Commission in the framework of the European Union’s budget reform, climate change has been identified as a major new challenge which will have significant impacts.

It appears increasingly likely that the challenges for the first decades of this century will be the transformation of development models, the invention of a new industrial revolution, and the success of the energy transition to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

The choices that Europe makes will therefore be decisive, and numerous international stakeholders expect Europe to transform its leadership on environmental negotiations into an implementation of appropriate policies.

Although limited, the budget of the EU can be an essential tool for the implementation of such policies, but the current European budget still reflects long-established policy priorities mainly designed to protect and maintain European agriculture.

Three recognised European organisations – IEEP (Turning the EU Budget into an Instrument to Support the Fight Against Climate Change), Green Alliance (Investing in our Future) and E3G (A European Budget for the Future) – have submitted reports as part of the review process.

It is important to hear these organisations together and compare their points of view to those of a representative of the Council and a member of the Parliament, as people who know the internal thought processes of European institutions.

Round table discussions chaired by Laurence Tubiana, director of Iddri and of the Sciences Po Sustainable Development Center, in the presence of:

Stephen Hale, Director, Green Alliance

Marc Pallemaerts, Senior Fellow and Head of Environmental Governance Research Team, IEEP

Jesse Scott, Programme Leader, E3G

Denis Simonneau, Cabinet Director at the State Secretary responsible for European Affairs

Simultaneous interpretation between French and English will be provided during the conference.

Please confirm your participation before 13th June 2008.