European Institute

On December 19, 2013, The European Institute in cooperation with the Embassy of Finland hosted a breakfast event with Esa Härmälä, Director-General of the Energy Department at the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy; Dr. Christian Burgsmueller, Head of the Transport, Energy, & Environment Section at the Delegation of the European Union; and Mikhail Kalugin, Head of the Economic Section at the Embassy of the Russian Federation to discuss the progress of Finland’s efforts to achieve sustainable energy independence through diversification of energy resources, closer integration with the European Union’s single energy market, and the furtherance of regional energy projects with neighboring states, including the Russian Federation.

On December 2, 2013, The European Institute awarded The Honorable José Ángel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development the Transatlantic Leadership Award at its Annual Ambassadors’ Dinner.  In his acceptance speech, Secretary-General Gurría called for renewed cooperation between Europe and the United States to “jump-start the engine of global growth” and stressed the importance of the potential Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership as an opportunity to set “the gold standard for deep and comprehensive global trade and investment integration.”  The event was co-hosted by the 32 European Ambassadors of the Ambassadorial Host Committee.

Click here to read Secretary-General Gurría's remarks.

On December 5, 2013, The European Institute in partnership with the European Parliament Liaison Office with the U.S. Congress convened a breakfast discussion with The Honorable Tonino Picula, Member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Croatia, and The Honorable Davor Ivo Stier, Member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. The discussion focused on the lessons learned from Croatia’s accession to the European Union and the future of EU enlargement in the Western Balkans in order to promote peace, stability, and prosperity.

On November 13, 2013, The European Institute in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania convened a special meeting on the European Union’s rapidly changing energy landscape. The Honorable Jaroslav Neverovic, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania; Ambassador Carols Pascual, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the U.S. Department of State;  François Rivasseau, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union; and Maciej Pisarski, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland offered their perspectives.  Their exchange focused on the Baltic Region’s efforts to end its status as an “energy island,” completion of the European Union’s single energy market, improving European energy connectivity, supply diversification, and the importance of regional and transatlantic cooperation in ensuring energy security.