Energy security beyond the supply glut
The EU-US Energy Security Council met in Washington DC this week. (EC)
The disruptions to Russian gas supplies to Europe in 2006 and 2009 were a wake-up call for policymakers, and energy security has since become one of the EU’s top priorities. Supply diversification is now a mantra in Brussels, with better interconnections and LNG imports seen as a hedge against the threat of potential disruptions to eastern supply routes.
Take this week’s EU-US Energy Council in Washington DC as an example. The Energy Council is an annual forum on energy priorities for the United States and the EU, first set up in 2009. This year’s council was chaired by a number of high-profile politicians: US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, Vice President for Energy Union Maroš Šefcovic and EU Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete.