EU pushes for joint energy stance

Senior EU officials are meeting oil and gas industry executives and ministers from energy-rich countries at the conference 'Conference: Towards an EU External Energy Policy to Assure a High Level of Supply Security, Brussels, 20-21 November 2006, in an effort to establish an EU-wide energy policy.

The European Commission brought together key players in the field of energy to discuss the ways in which Europe can most effectively address the issue of energy security. The debate focused on the external aspects of European policies on energy matters and concentrated mainly on oil and natural gas security supplies’ issues.

Several separate panel debate sessions were held with the participation of high level representatives from the Commission, the EU Member States and key Third Countries, representatives from the industry and international organisations, followed by open and large discussions.

Ensuring the security of energy supplies is at the heart of the Barroso Commission priorities. At a time when Europe’s energy import dependency is increasing, alongside rising oil and gas prices, in an environment of strongly growing global energy demand, the need for a coherent and coordinated external policy for energy in Europe is imperative. These issues were highlighted in the Green Paper on ‘A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy’ and have been discussed several times already by the European Council.

European Commission: SPEECH/06/710 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/06/710&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: SPEECH/06/711 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/06/711&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: SPEECH/06/712 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/06/712&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: DG External Relations: Energy: Energy Conference 2006 http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/energy/energy_conference_2006/index.htm

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