Wallin: Finnish tactics worked at EU climate talks

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The member states of the European Union agreed on Tuesday to cut back on emissions of greenhouse gases by 20 per cent by 2020. On Friday of last week the Finnish government had not been ready to publicly support the EU's unilateral commitment to the goal.
      On Wednesday, Environment Minister Stefan Wallin (Swed. People's Party) said that Finland's tactics "were completely successful". He said Finland could not reveal its stance before Tuesday "for reasons of negotiation tactics".
      Wallin said that the government decided before the negotiations in the EU to bring a burden-sharing aspect into the agreement. He said that the Finnish government wanted a fair and open arrangement, which takes the special conditions of each country into consideration. Wallin says that all of this was achieved, although the negotiations on the specifics of the sharing of the burden are still ahead.
      Wallin said that before Tuesday it was unclear if the burden-sharing issue would be included or not.
      He also sees as a victory the fact that the 20 per cent goal will not take effect until after agreement is reached on burden sharing. Another success was that the Commission would do all it can to avoid the so-called carbon drain - to prevent industry from abandoning existing locations.
     
Wallin notes that the government's need to keep its aims a secret may have left onlookers with a strange image of what was happening. The Finnish stance appeared to have changed overnight, when defeat turned into victory.
      "It is a price we had to pay."
      However, Parliament was aware of Finland's goals, and Parliament's Grand Committee approved Finland's negotiation mandate after a vote.
      The Government Institute for Economic Research (VATT) estimates that the goal that was set could lead to the loss of up to 60,000 jobs. Wallin says that the estimate is a worst-case scenario. In his view the employment impact is reduced by the burden sharing aspect.
      He also believes that in a global world, the problems caused by the agreement will be offset by other factors, such as jobs created by environmental technology.
     
Wallin points out that nothing has been reached on the sharing the burden except an aim at fairness and acceptance of special conditions.
      Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) voiced scepticism before Tuesday's meeting, expressing concern about the impact that the treaty might have on jobs.
      Later, in his blog, he praised Wallin and the agreement that was signed.
      "Our contacts with Germany function very well, and as the current holder of the EU Presidency, Germany insisted on adhering to its recognition of Finland's special needs." Vanhanen added that there were close contacts among prime ministers' offices and the ministers of the environment in the previous week.
      Wallin also praised Germany's input.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  EU´s decision on cuts in greenhouse gases satisfies Finland (21.2.2007)
  EU emissions cuts could lead to loss of 60,000 jobs in Finland (20.2.2007)

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