Excerpts from the daily press briefing by Romain Nadal, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international Development spokesman (Paris, November, 6th 2014) Climate – Meeting between Mr. Laurent Fabius and Mr. Nicholas Stern (Paris, November 6, 2014) Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, will this afternoon receive Mr. Nicholas Stern, climate economist, professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and author of the 2006 baseline report. This meeting forms part of the preparations for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. It will notably provide an opportunity to discuss the two critical issues of reconciling growth and environmental protection, notably in the emerging economies, and financing the fight against climate disruption. This issue was addressed in a 2010 report by the UN High-Level Advisory Group, of which he was a member. European Union – Meeting between Mr. Harlem Désir and Mr. Maros Sefcovic, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Energy (Paris, November 6, 2014) Mr. Harlem Désir, Minister of State for European Affairs, met today with Maros Sefcovic, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Energy, who chose Paris for his first European visit since taking office on November 1. Developing an energy strategy for Europe will be the most important European project over the next few years. This project is key to Europe’s energy security, the energy transition and the fight against climate disruption. Mr. Désir and Mr. Sefcovic welcomed the ambitious agreement on the 2030 European Framework for Climate and Energy concluded by the heads of state and government on October 23 and 24. They also discussed its legislative implementation which will allow the EU to play its full role in the preparations for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, which France will host at the end of next year. This exchange also provided an opportunity to discuss Europe’s energy security and the major investment needed over the next few years in the energy networks. France would like the issues at stake in the energy transition to be fully taken into consideration in the ambitious €300 billion public-private investment program for the period 2015-2017, announced by the president of the Commission, regarding which decisions must be made by the end of the year. Climate – Preparations for COP 20 – Annick Girardin’s visit to Venezuela (November 6 to 7, 2014) Ms. Annick Girardin, Minister of State for Development and La Francophonie will participate today and tomorrow in Caracas in a ministerial meeting to prepare for the climate conference that will take place in Lima from December 1 to 12 (COP20). This ministerial meeting will allow progress to be made on the major issues at stake in the negotiations. At the meeting, France will notably reaffirm the importance of capitalizing the Green Fund by the end of the year. While the IPCC has just published its Fifth Assessment Report, it will encourage all its partners to continue their greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts, for which the objectives should be presented in the first quarter of 2015. On this occasion, Ms. Girardin will meet with representatives of international civil society. In the run-up to the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, this meeting will provide an opportunity for France to underscore the need for mobilization and the need to pursue dialogue with civil society following the Peoples Climate March in New York. Burkina Faso France supports the efforts of ECOWAS to facilitate a civilian-led and consensus-based transition in Burkina Faso. We welcome the visit to Ouagadougou by Ghana’s president, who is the current president of ECOWAS, accompanied by his Nigerian and Senegalese counterparts. It provided an opportunity to bring the parties together, enabling them to reach an agreement on the framework of the transition: The suspension of the constitution should be lifted; a civilian figure must be appointed by consensus in order to preside over the transition and a transitional government must be formed for a period of one year. Presidential and parliamentary elections should be conducted by November 2015. France supports this framework which should allow Burkina Faso to resolve the crisis, in accordance with the spirit of the constitution. It urges the parties to continue their consultations in order to appoint a government and a transitional president as swiftly as possible. We commend the personal commitment of the heads of state of the region, who are meeting in Accra today, as well as the appointment of President Macky Sall as head of the Contact Group and Representative of ECOWAS Jerusalem – Terrorist attack (November 5, 2014) France condemns the terrorist attack that took place in Jerusalem yesterday. We extend our condolences to the victim’s family and assure the injured and their families of our solidarity. The deteriorating situation underscores, more than ever, the urgent need to make serious progress toward securing peace. Tunisia – Attack against a military convoy (November 5, 2014) France condemns the attack carried out on November 5 against a military convoy in the western part of Tunisia. We extend our condolences to the victims’ families. In these painful circumstances, we assure the Tunisian authorities and people of our solidarity. In the face of the terrorist threat, Tunisia’s cohesion should help to complete the democratic transition under way in the country. China – Fourth conference on French-Chinese decentralized cooperation (Strasbourg, November 6 to 7, 2014) The Fourth conference on French-Chinese decentralized cooperation will take place this year in Strasbourg from November 6 to 7 and will focus on innovation and cooperation in support of regional and local development. With more than 180 projects between our regional and local authorities, French-Chinese cooperation reflects the dynamism of the relations between our two countries, which are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year. Three workshops will be held on urban and rural development, the role that SMEs and SMIs can play and the regional and local impact of innovation. For the first time this year, an economic forum involving companies will also be organized on the occasion of this event. For more information please visit: diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/politique-etrangere-de-la-france/action-exterieure-des/actualites-et-agenda-de-la/actualites-de-la-cooperation/article/4emes-rencontres-franco-chinoises
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 21:59:36 +0000
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