Europe and Beyond: Developments and Dilemmas

A thematic workshop on European Energy Politics

20 & 21 September 2007

Palais d'Egmont, Brussels

Taking place at the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels, the conference began in the afternoon of Thursday, 20th September, with a welcome given by Philippe de Schoutheete, Director European Affairs, EGMONT and Amelia Hadfield, Director of EAG. Both commented publicly on the viable nature of this CEELBAS-sponsored activity, commending the concept of inter-disciplinary research groups as a catalyst to relevant and innovative research by British academics.

Speakers on Day One included policy practitioners who were able to comment on the conceptual and practical aspects of European energy issues, including His Excellency Ambassador Lukov, Christian Cleutinx from the European Commission, Leif Ervik formerly of the Energy Charter Secretariat, Thomas Smitham of the US Embassy in Brussels, and Peter Johnstone from the Department of Defence, Canada. These practical views were very well complimented by the perspectives of academics currently at work in the field of energy matters – specifically energy security. Professor Graham Timmins from Sterling laid out the foreign policy groundwork necessary to conceptualise energy issues. Dr Tatiana Romanova and Professor Kari Liuhto gave the conference insights into academic research on energy issues, whilst the research undertaken in think tanks was provided by Jan-Hein Chrisstoffels of Clingendael and John Mitchell of Chatham House.

Day Two moved from the themes of geopolitics to the more detailed, less well-known but vitally important aspects of energy efficiency, security of supply, renewables, sustainable development, as well as competition, regulation and investment. With the exception of sustainable development, less research is being done in these areas from the academic side, and it was crucial that invitees had the opportunity to hear the salient issues, and get a sense of what a decent research question would comprise. Questions on precisely this issue were repeatedly thrown at the presenters, which showed nicely the ability of the conference – and the EAG in its future activities – to be able to stimulate precisely this marriage of theory and practice. Speakers here again comprised a mixture of academics, practitioners and analysts, with John Vogler of the University of Keele and Dr Tom Vanden Borre giving a particularly clear account of the potential for energy research within the British and European university structures.

The September Roundtable was recognised by all participants during and after the event as a watershed in introducing British academics researching in similar areas of research to each other, and introducing the academic cadre itself to policy and practitioner expertise. The EAG can now move ahead, as an invaluable network of British-based energy experience, to pursue relevant research, pursue relevant project funding, contribute to policy formation, clarify energy issues in the minds of national stakeholders and engage with European and international colleagues in pursuing geopolitical and functional aspects of European energy security.

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