The reaction in Europe has been mixed to a decision, announced on Wednesday, that President Obama will attend the Copenhagen climate conference as the event gets underway next month.
Government officials and commentators welcomed Mr. Obama’s presence as an important signal that the United States was finally becoming serious about tackling climate change. But many of them expressed disappointment that the president would only spend one day day at the conference.
They also expressed disappointment that the president’s offer to cut emissions would be broadly similar to what the Congress already is considering and that the president might shy away from a pledge to provide money to the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Perspectives from four prominent Europeans follow.
AFP/Getty LARS LOKKE RASMUSSEN, the Danish prime minister, said he was “pleased that the American president will visit Copenhagen immediately prior to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.” Mr. Rasmussen, whose country is hosting the conference, said a “strong commitment of the American president to the climate change issue is very valuable,” and he said the visit underlined “the will of the president to contribute to an ambitious global deal in Copenhagen.” At the same time, Mr. Rasmussen noted that the deal is not expected to be concluded until Dec. 18, more than a week after Mr. Obama is scheduled to visit. Mr. Rasmussen also noted that “leaders from almost half the U.N. member states have announced their participation at the summit” during its conclusion, on Dec. 17-18.
AFP/Getty JOSE MANUEL BARROSO, the president of the European Commission, appeared to give only lukewarm approval to Mr. Obama’s decision to spend a day in Copenhagen near the beginning of the conference rather than commit to attend during the culmination of the two-week event when the pressure is expected to grow on leaders to seal a strong agreement. “I have made clear that we need as many world leaders present as possible,” Mr. Barroso said in a brief statement to the media. “I hope that others will follow suit,” he said.
Associated Press ANDREAS CARLGREN, the Swedish environment minister, welcomed the visit by Mr. Obama, but he sounded a note of disappointment about the timing of the president’s visit during the conference. Mr. Carlgren said he had hoped that Mr. Obama would “come to the final days of negotiations in line with the Danish invitation to heads of states and governments.” Mr. Carlgren, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said “it is obvious” that the United States was preparing to make a “significant emission reduction.” Even so, Mr. Carlgren expressed disappointment that Mr. Obama was not ready to pledge deeper cuts ahead of the Copenhagen meeting. “I regret that the level of reduction to 2020 is lower than what could be possible for the United States to achieve in connection to earlier estimations,” Mr. Carlgren said.
Bruegel REINHILDE VEUGELERS, a resident scholar at Bruegel, a think tank in Brussels, said it was “almost certainly the case that European leaders in favor of a strong treaty will be disappointed.” She said that many “Europeans had been hoping that Mr. Obama would push further and, for example, use more of the regulatory interventions at his disposal to make a very much improved offer on emissions. Ms. Veugelers said one effect in Europe of a disappointing offer by Mr. Obama ahead of the Copenhagen conference would be to strengthen the hand of countries like Germany and Poland, which have urged caution before putting an improved European offer on the table. Such an offer would “do little to create a virtuous circle of ever increasing offers of emissions cuts by other nations,” she said.
greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/europe-casts-a-skeptical-eye-on-obamas-trip-to-copenhagen/