Brussels, 23/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - Andris Piebalgs will be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday (26/27 March) to discuss energy policy with leaders (in this domain) from the Bush Administration. Mr Piebalgs' spokesperson explained that during this visit, the commissioner was aiming to “enhance bilateral contacts” in the area of energy and climate. The energy commissioner is expected to promote the triennial action plan recently adopted by the European Council, as part of a wider framework for an integrated approach to fighting climate change, an approach with which the Union is unilaterally committed to a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 (EUROPE 9383). An American source indicated that as well as meeting his counterpart, Secretary of State for Energy, Samuel Bodman, the energy commissioner would also meet the director of President Bush's National Economic Council, Alan Hubbard, the vice secretary of state, John Negroponte, and several influential senators, including Democrat, Barbara Boxer, who is leading her group's struggle in favour of introducing harsher legislation in her country for fighting global warming. The majority of Democrats want to re-orientate energy policy towards new priorities - renewable energies, energy efficiency, alternative fuels and low carbon energy technologies - to reduce a dependency on oil of almost 60% and cut down on US carbon emissions. These bilateral meetings are therefore expected to focus on new clean energy technologies and alternative fuels, as well as opportunities for concluding new bilateral and international agreements on energy efficiency, particularly with other big consumer countries like China. As the threat of a cartel between gas producer countries looms (on the initiative of Russia), the question of relations between consumer and supplier countries will also be at the centre of the discussions. (eh)