Joint Statement by the United States and the European Commission Following the Second Joint Climate Change

The European Commission and the United States convened the Third E.C.-U.S. Joint Climate Change Science and Technology Workshop at the National Science Foundation on March 14, 2006. The meeting was conducted under the 2002 agreement of ministerial-level representatives to the U.S.-EU High Level Dialogue on Climate Change to enhance cooperation on climate-related research.

Dr. Pierre Valette, Acting Director of the Directorate Environment, European Commission Research Directorate-General, and Dr. Harlan Watson, U.S. Department of State Senior Climate Negotiator and Special Representative, led the respective delegations.

The European Commission team included representatives from the European Commission Research Directorate-General and Environment Directorate General and from the European Commission Mission to the United States . The U.S. team included experts from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program Office, the U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of State, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

The delegations discussed activities in a number of the areas that were identified at the first U.S.-EC climate change science and technology research meeting in 2003: (1) carbon and water cycle research; (2) aerosol-climate interactions (3) integrated observation systems and data; and (4) climate modeling, impacts and adaptation.

For each area, the EC and U.S. representatives reviewed ongoing cooperative activities, and explored potential new activities. Topics included joint projects as well as programs that are being coordinated so as to maximize the combined research capacity of the United States and the European Commission.

U.S. and European participants at the meeting agreed to continue to seek opportunities, through the EC's Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development and the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and Climate Change Technology Program, to encourage additional joint projects, facilitate coordinated research calls, and increase synergy between U.S. and EC climate-related research programs.

Particular emphasis was also placed on the need to identify greater opportunities for data sharing as part of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Both sides also agreed to investigate opportunities for greater cooperation in the areas of carbon, water cycle research, aerosol-climate interactions as well as climate/earth system modeling.

E.C. and U.S. participants agreed that periodic meetings would help ensure continued close coordination of their respective climate-related research programs. The E.C. will host the next meeting.

The two sides worked to develop a catalog of joint and cooperative U.S.-EC climate-related science and technology research, in order to assist U.S. and EC research managers and other decision-makers. Participants also developed for each subject area a summary of ongoing cooperative and potential additional activities.