The European Union (EU) is to support better international cooperation and technology transfer to developing countries on renewable energy, the European Commission (EC) said here on Thursday.

The EU will convey this message at an international ministerial conference on renewable energy in Beijing of China on Nov. 7-8 and EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas will attend the meeting.

Meanwhile Dimas is also expected to meet high level officials from the Chinese government to discuss the cooperation between the EU and China on energy and climate change issues.

The conference in Beijing, which is organized by the Chinese and supported by the German government, will serve as a forum for representatives of 80 countries and the EU, including numerous ministers.

"I very much welcome the Chinese government's initiative in organizing this conference. It sends a clear message that emerging economies want to play a leading role in creating the conditions for renewables to thrive," Dimas was quoted as saying by an EC press release.

"The EU stands ready to contribute its know-how to developing innovative policies, instruments and public-private partnerships for accelerating renewable energy markets worldwide," he added.

The Beijing conference is a follow-up event to the World Sustainable Development Summit in Johannesburg in 2002 and the International Conference on Renewable Energy in June 2004.

Participants will also discuss ways in which international cooperation on renewables and technology transfer to developing countries can be strengthened.

Source: Xinhua