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(April 17, 2008/ Brussels, Belgium) The CALD delegation met with
the select members of the European Union Committee of the
Regions (CoR) and representatives of the various environmental
organizations and academic institutions to discuss the trends,
challenges, opportunities and liberal responses in addressing
the rising problem of climate change.
This initiative, held at the CoR premises, was spearheaded by
the Dialogue Program of Friedrich Nauman Foundation (FNF) in
Brussels and the regional office of East and Southeast Asia.
Ms. Flo Clucass, President of the Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the Committee of the Regions,
delivered her welcome remarks to open the event.
The first panel on European Union’s climate change policy was an
overview of the facts and figures of where the European Union’s
current initiative to address issues relating to the global
action on climate change. Mr. Hubertus von Welck, FNF regional
director for East and Southeast Asia, served as the moderator
for the whole proceedings. With him on the panel were Mr.
Rosario Bento Pais, deputy head of unit for climate strategy,
international negotiation and monitoring of EU action of the
European Commission, Mr. Jason Anderson, head of climate change
programme of the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP)
and Mr. Stephan Singer, head of European Climate and Energy Unit
of the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF).
The second panel focused on the ways and means of implementing
the Nuremberg Declaration on an EU-ASEAN Enhanced Partnership in
the field of energy security, climate change, environment and
minerals. The speakers in this panel were Mr. James Moran,
director for Asia and director general for external relations of
the European Commission, Dr. Paul Lim, deputy director for the
European Institute for Asian Studies and Dr. Neric Acosta, CALD
secretary general. Dr. Acosta gave a summary of the panel
discussion by pointing out four essential I’s (impacts,
institutions, innovations, infrastructure and information) that
thematically cover pressing issues on climate change and that
governments and civil society must continue to grapple with and
address.
As a final activity, an elegant luncheon was hosted by Dr.
Jurgen Wickert, director for European Institutions and North
America of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, in the exclusive Le
Cercle Royal Gaulois Artistique et Litteraire, at the heart of
Brussels. |
