WASHINGTON (June 3, 2008) - The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) announces today the creation of a new Climate & Energy Program to facilitate transatlantic cooperation on climate policy solutions.

GMF will bring its considerable networks, research, and convening power to bear on a policy debate that has at times strained relations across the Atlantic. The program is led by Cathleen Kelly, the former climate change policy director at the Nature Conservancy and a 14-year veteran on climate policy issues affecting the United States and Europe.

 "For the past several years, publics on both sides of the Atlantic have called for their governments to produce new, dynamic approaches to combating the negative effects of climate change," said GMF President Craig Kennedy. "GMF wants to ensure the necessary transatlantic and global dialogues happen, helping yield tangible results for North America, Europe, and the rest of the world."

As significant generators of greenhouse gasses, the United States and Europe are major players in international climate negotiations but currently advocate different approaches to controlling emissions. While Europe has been a leader in developing solutions to climate change, the U.S. administration has consistently opposed establishing a mandatory cap-and-trade program and has argued for voluntary approaches to controlling emissions.

To bridge the climate change divide, the program will focus on four areas of cooperation:

• Facilitate early dialogue between American and European climate negotiators. GMF will work with the new U.S. Administration and European climate negotiators on their way to the December 2009 climate conference in Copenhagen.
• Help move the United States into a leadership position on climate change. GMF will link senior staff and Members of Congress to European negotiators and industry leaders, drawing from the European policy experience that is relevant to the ongoing U.S. debate on cap-and-trade, renewable energy, and other policies.
• Support transatlantic dialogue on developing-country actions to combat climate change. Emissions from emerging economies, specifically China and India, are growing rapidly and require immediate cuts to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. GMF will convene study tours and conduct briefings to raise awareness and facilitate dialogue on actions that developing countries could take to combat climate change.
• Address conflicts and opportunities that arise at the intersection of trade and climate policies. GMF will launch a sustained effort to (1) bridge the communication gap between the climate and trade communities, and (2) develop recommendations on designing climate policies to minimize conflicts with international trade laws and leverage trade to meet emissions reduction and economic development goals.

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The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a nonpartisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between the United States and Europe.  GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working on transatlantic issues, by convening leaders to discuss the most pressing transatlantic themes, and by examining ways in which transatlantic cooperation can address a variety of global policy challenges. In addition, GMF supports a number of initiatives to strengthen democracies.  Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington, DC, GMF has seven offices in Europe: Berlin, Bratislava, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, and Bucharest.

Contact:
William Bohlen, wbohlen@gmfus.org, +1 202 683 2609
Elisabeth Boswell Rega, eboswellrega@gmfus.org, +32 02 238 5283