During their eighth ministerial Energy Council (the first under the administration of US President Donald Trump), the European Union and United States showed a clear convergence of views, in Brussels on Thursday 12 July, on the need to strengthen their energy cooperation, in particular to boost US exports of LNG to Europe and thus reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas.
"The strategic role of energy in our relations is all the more important due to the political dimension of energy security and the impact of clean energy for our economies", European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič told press.
"The LNG market is gaining in importance, and American supply could be a game-changer. The EU is a big attractive market and a reliable customer", Šefčovič added, giving assurances that Europeans and Americans had both agreed to move ahead to boost their cooperation on LNG.
"(The EU) must still make progress on LNG terminals, and Americans on the reform of their regulatory framework. We agreed that we all had things to do to complete our infrastructures. We are ready to increase our trade in LNG", he added.
"The EU will continue to be a big gas market, and it will need 270 to 320 billion m3 of gas by 2030. We will produce less gas and will need to import. LNG supplies from the USA are welcome. We said that we did not have barriers to imports of LNG", European Commissioner for Climate and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete stated.
"We have become the main supplier of LNG. Dozens of cargo ships already transport LNG to ports in Europe and these deliveries will only increase. Our new terminal in Maryland will enable deliveries to be accelerated", US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry stated, praising the US "contribution to (carbon) emissions reduction".
Europeans and Americans also showed a clear convergence of views on the need to reduce the EU's dependence on Russian gas, with the Europeans flagging up their reservation, and the Americans flagging up their clear hostility, to the Russian gas pipeline projects Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream.
"We agreed to cooperate to ensure the success of the Southern Corridor project and to ensure that in no case will it be hampered by other projects in the region such as Turkish Stream", Šefčovič said.
"As President Trump said, the USA does not support gas pipelines such as Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream which will only increase dependence on a single source of supply (...) We firmly believe in competition. Nord Stream 2 will not add new gas volumes for the EU. The opening through the Southern Corridor, the arrival of LNG through Poland, the creation of other terminals could offer the EU different options for supply", Perry stated.
"Our concerns are well-known with regard to Nord Stream 2. I have informed our American friends about our proposals (Ed: the amendment to the gas directive of the third package to cover gas pipelines from third countries, and the mandate to negotiate with Russia on Nord Stream 2). In this context, which is quite urgent, it is to be ensured that the gas transit via Ukraine be continued. This is important for energy security and reforms and economic development in Ukraine", he concluded. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)