Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation
GMF Blog: Expert Commentary

Archive for December, 2009

Free, to travel, at last

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

BELGRADE — After nearly 18 years, the citizens of Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro are free to travel to European Union Schengen area countries without visas. A decision by the Council of Ministers of the European Union on November 30 opened the borders on December 19. This long-awaited decision was met … Continue Reading…

Copenhagen climate deal: hope or hype?

Monday, December 21st, 2009

COPENHAGEN — After two weeks of intense and chaotic negotiations, more than two dozen countries, including those most responsible for current and future warming, promised to reduce their emissions and finance green growth and efforts to cope with climate change in developing countries. President Obama ended the deadlock that had … Continue Reading…

Seven lessons from Copenhagen

Monday, December 21st, 2009

COPENHAGEN — It will be discussed for some time whether the “Copenhagen Accord” represents an unsatisfactory compromise or an unmitigated failure. Whatever the ultimate answer, there are some preliminary lessons that can be drawn from a memorably chaotic global gathering.

The full text can be found with … Continue Reading…

Copenhagen nights

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

COPENHAGEN — The days in Copenhagen are short at this time of year, but the working days at the UN climate change conference seemed endless. Brinksmanship and late-night drafting sessions are nothing new to climate-change negotiations: in Indonesia, in 2007, ministers stayed up until the late morning to wrap up … Continue Reading…

U.S. winning “Fossil of the Day” penalty in Copenhagen

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

COPENHAGEN – The daily presentation of the ‘Fossil of the Day’ awards has become as integral a part of the UN climate talks as the all-night negotiating sessions, colorful protests, and eleventh hour deliberation among parties to try and reach an agreement. This ten year old tradition organized by the Climate … Continue Reading…

The transatlantic climate in Copenhagen

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

COPENHAGEN — As hope dims for a major global climate deal in Copenhagen, participants still could make enough progress to lay a real foundation for a future treaty. But even that will take significant cooperation, particularly between the transatlantic partners.  With only two days left in the negotiations and tensions … Continue Reading…

Access and influence at the Copenhagen climate talks

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

COPENHAGEN — There was much stomping of feet in the snowy cold outside the Bella Convention Center here in Copenhagen, home to the UN climate change negotiations. Thousands of participants–negotiators, the media and observers from NGOs and business–waited for up to eight hours to try … Continue Reading…

COP 15: Growth vs. climate?

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

COPENHAGEN — When it comes to climate change and how to combat it, one of the fundamental questions asked by critics and supporters alike is: Who will pay? It is also one of the toughest issues being negotiated right now in snowy Copenhagen. Developing countries demand financial and technology transfers … Continue Reading…

Clinging to Kyoto

Monday, December 14th, 2009

COPENHAGEN — The Africa group walked out of the negotiations today to protest perceived efforts by developed countries to kill the Kyoto Protocol. The talks resumed several hours later.  While much of this is the typical drama that plays out at these meetings, Africa and other developing countries are legitimately … Continue Reading…

Organized chaos?

Monday, December 14th, 2009

COPENHAGEN — Today was the first day of the ministerial segment of the climate negotiations in Copenhagen. Outside, 15,000 people were standing in line for hours to get access into the Bella Conference Center, home of the climate negotiations. Meanwhile, things were heating up inside. This morning, the African delegations … Continue Reading…