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Japan, EU to push for launch of energy-saving forum at G-8: draft
Japanese and European Union leaders will agree at their talks next
Wednesday in Tokyo that the two sides will push for launching a new
energy-saving framework to curb global warming at a Group of Eight energy
ministers meeting in June in Japan, according to a draft of their post-summit
statement.
''Japan and the EU agreed to help establish the International Partnership
for Cooperation on Energy Efficiency (IPEEC) through close cooperation with the
International Energy Agency at the forthcoming G-8 Energy Ministers meeting''
in Aomori Prefecture for formal authorization at the G-8 summit in July in
Hokkaido, says the draft, a copy of which Kyodo News obtained Wednesday.
The IPEEC envisages allowing countries to set individual goals and action
plans to improve energy efficiency, coupled with a review system by the IEA and
financial and technology assistance by developed countries, an initiative aimed
at ensuring the involvement of China, India and other emerging economies in
global fight against climate change.
The Japanese and EU leaders will also agree to strengthen international
and bilateral cooperation to ensure the safety of food and other products, a
move apparently stemming from concerns over Chinese products, the draft says.
The leaders will express shared concern about the recent surge in oil
prices to record highs, saying this ''could have negative effects on the growth
in the global economy as well as on individual developed (and) developing
countries and oil-producing countries,'' the draft says.
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa
and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will take part in the
Tokyo summit. Slovenia currently holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation
European Union.
The three are also expected to discuss the situations in Tibet, North
Korea and Iran during the summit.
On food safety, they ''will aim to strengthen their cooperation at
international and bilateral levels on safety of food and other products,
security of the supply chain and the food chain, the security of networks and
ICT (information and communication technology) usage,'' the draft says,
referring to the possibility of strengthening reciprocal exchange of
information on food safety.
The agreement reflects Tokyo's concerns about Chinese products in the wake
of food poisoning cases in Japan involving Chinese-made dumplings.
Japan and China remain at odds over how the dumplings were contaminated
with pesticide that caused 10 people in Japan to fall ill. Fukuda is expected
to take up the issue when he meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao during Hu's
visit to Japan in early May.
The Japanese and EU leaders will also agree that the two sides will
explore possibilities for strengthening reciprocal information-sharing about
recent major recalls and withdrawals from the market of dangerous nonfood
products including those from the third countries, according to a draft of an
annex statement, a copy of which was also made available.
On climate change, the leaders will agree to join forces to create an
''effective and comprehensive'' carbon-capping framework beyond the 2012
expiration of the Kyoto Protocol, says the draft of the main statement.
The leaders are expected to agree it is necessary to achieve a peaking-off
of greenhouse gas emissions within the next 10 to 20 years so as to reduce
global emissions by half or more by 2050, the draft says.
But the EU side is still requesting that the period cover the next 10 to
15 years, according to negotiation sources.
The leaders will agree that ''strong leadership by developed countries is
required'' to push U.N. negotiations forward to craft a post-Kyoto framework by
the end-of-2009 deadline, the draft says.
They will stress it is important to ensure ''the comparability of efforts
among (developed nations) to create the necessary confidence among developing
countries to engage in actions to address climate change,'' it says,
effectively urging the United States to make firmer commitments to curbing
emissions.
The leaders will also urge China, India and other emerging economies to
play their part in a post-2012 regime, saying, ''Economically more advanced
developing countries should contribute adequately according to their
responsibilities and respective capabilities.''
On macroeconomic issues, the Japanese and EU leaders will agree that
global current-account imbalances ''remain a concern'' for future growth of the
world economy and that ''both surplus and deficit countries should implement
the policy actions agreed in April 2007 in the framework of the IMF-led
Multilateral Consultations,'' the draft says.
The wording was taken as a call for China to ensure greater flexibility in
its currency system and speed financial sector reform, as recommended by the
International Monetary Fund in a set of steps for China, the eurozone, Japan,
Saudi Arabia and the United States to help unwind global imbalances.
The Japanese and EU leaders will agree to cooperate to realize a
successful conclusion to global market liberalization talks under the World
Trade Organization ''within this year,'' the draft says.
Moreover, the leaders will agree that the two sides will ''work together
in the coming months and will deliver a strong and coherent message on the
world economy at the G-8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit,'' the draft says, recognizing
that the world economy confronts challenging and uncertain prospects.
The July 7-9 summit at the Lake Toya resort area in Hokkaido will bring
together leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia
and the United States. The European Union also takes part in the G-8 process.
==Kyodo
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