The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jørgensen, will be taking part in the Summit on the Future of Energy Security, organised in London on 24 and 25 April by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The Summit, co-chaired by the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Carbon Neutrality, Ed Miliband, and the Executive Director of the IEA, Fatih Birol, brings together government representatives from around the world, including all EU Member States except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Malta, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden.
Countries such as the United States, Canada, India, Japan, Norway and South Africa are also represented, although not necessarily at ministerial level. The United States has sent two acting deputy secretaries.
Transatlantic exchanges possible. This is a unique opportunity for the EU to discuss energy issues with representatives mandated by US President Donald Trump, as a source in the office of the French Minister for Industry and Energy, Marc Ferracci, pointed out. In particular, it will be a question of “raising the issue of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, which is creating a fundamental misalignment between our climate strategies, but also our energy strategies – which is perhaps even more worrying”, explained this source.
At the Summit, the EU countries are expected to call for an acceleration of the European decarbonisation agenda, in the interests of security of supply and the continent’s strategic autonomy.
On the subject of Mr Trump’s stance in favour of increased purchases of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) by Europe in exchange for trade concessions, “we are not aware of any American request in this regard, or of a return to normal in terms of customs tariffs”, stressed the same source.
An end to dependence on Russian fossil fuels. In addition to these trade issues, the latest energy dependencies on Russia will also be addressed (see EUROPE 13584/9).
The Summit comes just a few weeks before the expected presentation on 6 May of the European Commission’s ‘roadmap’ for putting an end to Russian fossil fuel imports (gas, oil, nuclear fuel), which are affecting the EU’s energy security.
More generally, the IEA explains that the event, organised as a series of round tables, aims to discuss “the geopolitical, technological and economic factors that influence energy security at national and international level”.
The first day of exchanges will be marked by a working session on mapping the energy security landscape and a session on how to shape the future of the energy security agenda. The morning of the second day will be devoted to a ministerial session based on the conclusions of the previous day’s thematic sessions.
Ahead of the Summit, President von der Leyen will hold talks with the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, on cooperation between the EU and the UK, ahead of the EU-UK summit on 19 May. The President will then give a speech on Europe’s efforts in the field of sustainable energy.
To see the Summit programme: https://aeur.eu/f/gi4 (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)