Cablegate: Eu Environmental Ministers Support Creation Of

VZCZCXRO9226
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHHE #0700 2051207
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241207Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2201
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000700

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PREL UNEP EUN FI
SUBJECT: EU ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTERS SUPPORT CREATION OF
UN ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION (UNEO)

REF: STATE 116862

1. (U) SUMMARY: During the July EU Informal
Ministerial meeting on the Environment, Finnish
Minister Enestam and EU Commissioner Dimas called
upon EU countries to support a measure creating a
United Nations Environmental Organization (UNEO) and
a Panel on Natural Resources. END SUMMARY.

2. (U) At the EU Informal Environmental Ministerial
hosted in Turku, Finland July 14-16, Finnish
Environmental Minister Jan-Erik Enestam and EU
Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas
called for the establishment of a United Nations
Environmental Organization (UNEO) and a Panel on
Natural Resources to operate similar to the UN
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Enestam
alluded to a "One Planet Environmental Policy,"
saying, "We will also need new strong global
players, such as a United Nations Environmental
Organization and a Panel on Natural Resources. These
international bodies would be instrumental in
establishing common rules for all players."

3. (U) A Finnish-produced background paper for the
Informal Ministerial meeting contained a call for EU
countries to lobby for a permanent international
environmental organization. EU countries believe
UNEO would represent a "significant shift in
international environmental policies" by "giving
more political weight to international environmental
action." Support of UNEO was again reiterated on
July 18 in a Finnish EU press release that called
for "new forums" to "enable countries to work
together to find ways to resolve critical global
environmental problems." Creation of UNEO was
listed as an important objective in this process.

4. (U) While the final "Presidency Conclusions"
document fell short of again naming UNEO, it did
say, "The EU should actively lobby for the creation
of a international environmental organization to
strengthen international environmental governance
and enhance cooperation between international
environmental agreements."

5. (SBU) According to sources in the Finnish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, support for UNEO has
been a GOF position for some time; however, the GOF
has recently been more vocal about this stance due
to its EU Presidency rotation. From published
sources we know that the Finns discussed supporting
UNEO as early as June of 2005 when Enestam met in
Japan with the Japanese Environment Minister.

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Comment
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6. (SBU) EU countries see the establishment of a
central governing body on the environment as a step
toward getting all players to "act by the same
rules." The fact that the name "UNEO" is missing
from the final Presidency Conclusion may signal that
there is not unanimous support within the EU for
UNEO; however, the call for UNEO was clearly held by
the majority of EU Environmental Ministers.

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