Briefing to Parliamentarians - Post Lisbon: How to achieve coherence between energy security anddevelopment policies

What:Briefing Session for Parliamentarians and Policy MakersWhere:

Residence Palace, Brussels, Belgium

When:9 February 2011To register, please contact Frida van der Graaf, at

[email protected].

This Briefing session is part of a two day event series, if you would like to attend the

Final EDC 2020

event

the following day on 10 February 2011, please state it in your email. Places for both events arelimited.

Summary and objectivesThe event will consider the Lisbon Treaty perspectives for better coherence between energy security anddevelopment policies of the European Union. Specific objectives include:

Brief review of the EU past record and the potential of the Lisbon treaty for improving coherencebetween energy security and development policies, with a focus on particular EU institutionsUnderstand new challenges for the EU and potential role that the EU can play in promoting coherencebetween the different policy goals and whether/how its role needs to adapt to changing external andinternal pressures

Identify the practical implications for EU foreign policy, particular in relation to development cooperationprocessAgenda12:30-13:30 -Registrationand coffee13:30-13:45 – Introductory remarks (tbc)

13:45-14:15 –Key-note speechby:

Andris Piebalgs,

EU Commissioner for Development

14:15 -15.00 –Presentations by panellistsChair (tbc)(i) Bram Büscher, Lecturer at Institute of Social Studies

(ii) Michael Köhler, Head of Cabinet, EU Commissioner for Energy (tbc)(iii) Jacqueline Hale, Senior Policy Analyst, EU External Relations at Open Society Foundations (tbc)(iv) Ruchita Beri, Senior Research Associate, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses15:00 – 15:45Open discussionwith panellists and participants

15:45 -16.00 –Main conclusionsand closing by Richard Youngs, Director General, FRIDE & EDC 2020Coordinator WG on Energy Security, Democracy and Political Development and Jos van Gennip,President SID European Programme, EDC 202016:00 Coffee and RefreshmentsBackgroundThe EU has made strong commitments to improve coherence between energy security and developmentpolicies. Defining the framework for external energy relations in 2006, the European Commission called for‘coherence between the internal and external aspects of energy policy, and between energy policy andother policies that affect it, such as external relations, trade, development, research and environment.”Furthermore, EU external energy policy “must also be consistent with the EU's broader foreign policyobjectives such as conflict prevention and resolution, non-proliferation and promoting human rights.”Adopting the Policy Coherence for Development in 2005, the EU committed to tightening the relationshipbetween aid efforts and other EU policy concerns in 12 policy areas, including energy. The EuropeanConsensus on Development presents governance reform and development efforts as the principle meansof improving security goals such as those relating to energy supplies.The EU’s record of linking energy and development in its external relations shows that the progress variesgeographically. In Africa, where the focus on energy has grown out of development concerns, thedevelopment strand of energy policy has become more prominent. Governance efforts in the Niger Deltaprovide perhaps the best example of this link in practice. In the Middle East and Russia however the focuson energy retains more of a geopolitical angle.Questions to be discussed

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What record does the European Union have in linking energy security objectives with developmentgoals?What reform does the Lisbon Treaty introduce in the realm of energy security?What potential does the Lisbon Treaty offer for improving coherence between energy security anddevelopment policies?How do African countries see the relationship between energy security and development policies of theEU?Which are the new challenges for finding the right balance between EU energy security and energysupplier countries’ development?Does China’s presence make it more difficult to link energy security and development policies?What is role for the European Parliament in the post-Lisbon context?

What are the roles for the Development Commissioner, Energy Commissioner, EnvironmentCommissioner, Commissioner on Climate Action and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairsand Security Policy?