EU-U.S. Summit to focus on climate change

Climate change will be a key topic when leaders from the European Union (EU) and the United States meet next Tuesday in Washington, the EU said in a statement Friday.

"It will be the first formal summit between the EU and the U.S. for the Obama administration. The summit is an important event ahead of the climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December," said the statement issued by Sweden, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

The EU-U.S. summit, co-chaired by Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and U.S. President Barack Obama, will also focus on the global economic and financial crisis and current external relations issues, particularly Afghanistan and Iran, said the statement.

The summit is an opportunity to build on relations between the EU and the U.S., with focus on how the EU and the U.S. can work together in the world to promote peace, prosperity and democracy, it added.

In connection with the summit, a new initiative for energy cooperation between the EU and the U.S. will be launched.

Also attending the summit are President of the European Commission, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States.

Source: Xinhua