High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson will travel to Washington on 7 and 8 February to co-chair the 9th EU-US Energy Council meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. Among other topics, they will discuss the situation in Ukraine and how to secure Europe’s gas supplies and cope with price volatility.
At the end of their discussions, a joint declaration will be issued to express the will of both parties to strengthen their cooperation on energy.
According to a draft of the text obtained by EUROPE, an entire chapter of the declaration will be devoted to strengthening energy security in the EU and its neighbourhood, notably in Ukraine and the Western Balkans.
One of the paragraphs specifically states that “the EU and the United States affirmed their commitment to proactively cooperate to address any potential risks related to energy supply in the EU and its neighbourhood”.
They intend “to work together so that global liquefied natural gas provides additional supplies in case of pipeline gas disruptions in the short term”.
Amid fears of Russian aggression towards Ukraine, both sides intend to express their “firm support for a strong and resilient Ukraine”, which “continues to be a key partner of both the EU and the United States”, while pledging to continue “to support exploring new gas transit capacity from the EU to Ukraine”.
They will also reaffirm that “it is unacceptable to use energy supply as a weapon”.
“The Council dedicated itself to new efforts to invest in and support the energy transition in Ukraine”, the statement further stressed.
Accelerating the energy transition
In addition to the topic of energy security, the issue of energy transition will also be at the heart of the debate.
The interim statement thus underlines the commitment of both parties to accelerate the transition while ensuring that it is fair, in order to achieve climate neutrality.
The text refers in particular to the development of hydrogen and the fight against methane emissions, two subjects that will be part of targeted discussions.
Finally, it should be noted that many sections of the declaration appear in square brackets, indicating that they have not yet been agreed between the two parties.
This is particularly the case for a reference to the need to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, where Washington wants to add the word “inefficient” before “subsidies”.
See the draft joint declaration and provisional agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/75 (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)