On the 23^rd of June 2015 – Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations and the Development Group held the 2^nd Symposium of the 2015 series of events dedicated to the European Energy Transition. Together with around 70 representatives from the EU institutions, the economic sector, member states and other key stakeholders, we discussed the need of “securing gas supply within an integrated European market: a strategy subject to many uncertainties”.

The EU’s objective is to secure gas supply at affordable prices within an integrated European market. However, so far, there is a lack of visibility on the role of gas in the EU energy transition to many uncertainties at international and European levels. At international level, the increasing demand of emerging countries for this energy source, the oil prices volatility, and the difficult geopolitical context in the EU’s Eastern and Southern neighbourhood, particularly the tensions with Russia, have reignited the debate over the security of gas supply in the EU. At the European level, the declining European gas production, the stagnating energy demand and the increasing gas import dependency force the EU to find new gas supply sources and routes (via the construction of pipelines and the development of LNG and storage), while integrating increasingly its gas markets.

However, all speakers agreed on the fact that gas investments are currently difficult to make for several reasons: the development of non-market based renewables (that has made gas power plants unprofitable), the complex and volatile economic environment, cheap imported coal, the short-term regulatory framework and weak carbon prices. Moreover, the difficulty of completing the EU internal gas market also requires addressing many technical, commercial and political barriers to the cross-border trade of gas.  As a speaker rightly outlined “in the EU, gas will have to struggle in the future”.

All the answers to these challenges will require political commitment, technology developments, and solidarity between Member States, transit and producer countries, the EU institutions and all energy stakeholders. Each actor will have to develop innovative solutions and accept to drop some of its individual decision-making powers in favour of a common approach, which is not only more cost-efficient but also more secure.

Please find here the report.

Photos of the Symposium available here.

SPEAKERS’ MATERIALS and AGENDA (click here for the agenda)

09:00 – 09:15 Welcome address

Claudia HERING, Head of Public Affairs, Development Group and
Clémentine d’OULTREMONT, Senior Research Fellow, Egmont Institute

09:15 – 09:30 Keynote address

Stefan MOSER, Head of Unit Security of Supply, DG Energy, European Commission

09:30 – 11:00 Session1: Why is a clear strategy for gas currently difficult to implement in Europe

Speakers:

• Costanza JACAZIO, Senior Gas expert in the Gas, Coal and Power Market Division, International Energy Agency
• Anders MARVIK, Vice-President EU Affairs, Statoil
• Marco MARGHERI, Senior Vice President Public and EU affairs, Edison

Discussant: Marco GIULI , Policy analyst in the Energy Programme, European Policy Centre

Moderator: Clémentine d’OULTREMONT, Senior Research Fellow, Egmont Institute

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 – 13:00 Session 2: What are the next steps towards an integrated and long-term electricity market?

Speakers:

• Margot LOUDON, Deputy Secretary General, Eurogas
• Christophe POILLION  , Chairman of the Security of Supply Task Force of GIE – Gas Infrastructure Europe and Vice-President European Affairs, GRTgaz
• Jan KERNER, Senoir Market Develoment Leader Europe, Russia, CIS, GE Power and Water

Discussant: Prof. Coby VAN DER LINDE, Clingendael International Energy Programme (CIEP)

Moderator: Marc OTTE, Director-General, Egmont Institute

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

MANY THANKS TO OUR

Key Sponsor of the 2015 series of events

Gold sponsor of our 2nd symposium

(Photo credit: Claudia Heringr, Flickr)