Joint Statement on the First Meeting of the U.S.-Germany Working Group on Energy, Development, and Climate Change

Senior representatives from the United States and Germany met in Berlin on August 12, 2005 to initiate the "U.S.-Germany Working Group on Energy, Development, and Climate Change." This working group is a result of the joint actions on cleaner and more efficient energy, development, and climate change contained in the joint declaration by President George W. Bush and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Mainz, Germany on February 23, 2005.

The Mainz declaration recognizes that the United States and Germany have a history of working together bilaterally and multilaterally to promote strong economic growth, reduce harmful air pollution, improve energy security and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Mechanisms of this collaboration include the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Delhi Declaration, the G-8 Gleneagles Plan of Action, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development Plan of Implementation. This cooperation is now further enhanced by the bilateral working group on energy, development, and climate change.

The respective delegations meeting in Berlin were jointly led on behalf of the United States by Dr. Robert Dixon, Associate Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Dr. Harlan Watson, Senior Climate Negotiator and Special Representative, U.S. Department of State; and on behalf of Germany by Dr. Urban Rid, Director in the Federal Chancellery.

The U.S. team included experts from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, as well as the U.S. Departments of Energy and State; the U.S. Agency for International Development; and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The German team included representatives from Federal Chancellery as well as the Ministries for Economics and Labor; Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety; Economic Cooperation and Development; and the Foreign Office.

The Parties discussed current collaboration and examined options to improve existing cooperation in the areas of energy efficiency, development, and climate change. Specifically, the two sides focused on 17 specific areas of cooperation in energy supply, energy efficiency, and renewable energies.

Additionally, the United States and Germany will:

• Collaborate in the Methane to Markets Partnership through Germany’s decision to join the Partnership;
• Continue cooperation on the International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy and the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (for which Germany will host the next meeting in September);
• Convene a joint workshop on high efficiency power generation technology development and deployment strategies;
• Support the implementation of the International Action Programme of the Bonn Renewables 2004 Conference, International Energy Agency Implementing Agreements, and REN21;
• Strengthen donor cooperation in developing countries consistent with the G8 Gleneagles Plan of Action.