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The Week in Germany: Current Affairs

September 15, 2006

Merkel Praises EU-Asian Agreement on Climate Change

European Union and Asian leaders have issued a broad declaration on global warming which German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed as a crucial consensus reached during a two-day summit between the two regions.

The Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM), held in Helsinki on September 10 and 11, focused primarily on global trade and environmental policies. Thirteen Asian states and all 25 EU member states took part, with Merkel representing Germany.

Finnish President Tarja Halonen (left) and Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, welcoming Merkel to the ASEM 6 summit on September 10.

All participating states agreed "that climate change should not thwart growth opportunities for emerging and developing countries," Merkel said as the mammoth conference came to a close.

The meeting's declaration on climate change recognized that developing countries had "legitimate and preferential needs to achieve continuous economic growth and to combat poverty". EU and Asian states had "a common, but differentiated responsibility" in the battle against the production of greenhouse gases and related global warming, the declaration added.

Diplomats also said leaders will call for UN negotiations on climate change to be sped up after the 2012 expiration of the current Kyoto Protocol, according to Brussels-based online news service eupolitix.com.

Merkel cited broad consensus on the need to expand the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012, dpa reported. Compared to a decade ago, when the bi-annual ASEM conference was created, "considerable advances" had been made in improving energy efficiency, she added.

Next UN secretary general from Asia

The German chancellor also said Asia should name the next United Nations secretary general. "Europe sees … that it's Asia's turn and they should recommend a candidate," she told reporters as the summit came to a close. There was "a good tradition in the UN" which allowed regional rotating of the post of UN secretary general, she added.

But East European countries, which have never had a UN secretary general, argue they should be given a chance to choose the world's chief diplomat.

A minute of silence

The second and final day of the summit on September 11 began with a minute of silence to honor the victims of the 9/11 tragedy which took place five years ago.

"We agreed that he only way forward is to support the multilateral rule-based system with the UN at its core," Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said on behalf of the EU presidency on September 10. "Preventing terrorism and organized crime remain focal issues."

Merkel moreover hailed the whole meeting as an excellent example of international cooperation. The cultural dialogue it promotes is also important, she added, "to undermine fundamentalists".

ASEM 6

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