Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, responsible for the Energy Union will be on a visit this week (6-9 March) to Washington for a meeting with the government of the new US president, Donald Trump, to discuss energy and climate cooperation.
The Commissioner’s US visit begins on Monday with a visit to the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, where he is due to take part in discussions about EU/US space strategies.
During his time in Houston, Mr Sefcovic is also expected to take part on Monday and Tuesday in the CERAWeek2017, a major annual international gathering of energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers. He is also due to have a bilateral meeting with Alexander Novak, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Darren Woods, CEO of Exxon; Lamar McKay, Deputy Group Chief Executive of BP; Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA); Hans-Ulrich Engel, CFO of BASF; and Mario Mehren, CEO of the German group, Wintershall and take part in panel discussions on clean energy transition and on sustainability.
In Washington on Wednesday, Vice-President Sefcovic will be meeting Gary Cohn, chief economic advisor to US President Donald Trump and Director of the United States National Economic Council. He will then take part in a roundtable with industry representatives and civil society representatives hosted by the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS); and will give a speech at the US Chamber of Commerce.
On Thursday, he will meet NGOs and think-tanks on clean energy transition during a discussion hosted by WRI Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities. There will also be a meeting with Kristalina Georgieva, Chief Executive of the World Bank and leading members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Ahead of his trip, the Commission Vice President pointed out that, "Both the EU and the US need to maintain a strong transatlantic relationship, (in energy and climate affairs, Ed) which is in their mutual interest… The global transition to a low carbon economy is a positive agenda and an irreversible trend, with positive impact on jobs and growth. The EU is ready to play its role as global leader in the fight against climate change". (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)