Hosted by H.E. Alexandros Mallias, Ambassador of Greece to the United States, the meeting was an opportunity to discuss the urgent need for closer collaboration between Europe and the US, as they face the challenges of climate change and energy security, in addition to terrorism. Ambassador Mallias reported on the recent fires in Greece and the sense of solidarity they created within the EU. H.E. Joao de Vallera, Ambassador of Portugal to the US reviewed the priorities of the Portuguese EU Presidency. Sherri Goodman, General Counsel, CNA Corporation and Executive Director, Military Advisory Board of CNA Corporation presented CAN’s seminal report on National Security and the Threat of Climate Change. The Hon. Kurt Volker, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs offered his assessment of current U.S.-Europe relations. He noted the need for increased transatlantic cooperation and discussed the ultimate resolution of Kosovo’s final status, as well as U.S- EU cooperation on the issues of Climate Change and the conflict in Afghanistan.
Held on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the seminar focused on ways to enhance transatlantic approaches towards energy security and emerging economies. The German Presidency’s initiatives in this were outlined by Johannes Haindl, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany. H.E. Janusz Reiter, Ambassador of Poland to the United States, indicated that an external energy supply is forcing the EU to make choices in energy security issues. Kenneth A. Myers III, Senior Professional Staff Member, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, opined that NATO has the most comprehensive approach towards energy policies. Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State, stressed public private partnerships in pipeline prospects, dependency on Russian energy, and gas flows from the Caspian Sea region into Europe. From an industry perspective, Tracey McMinn, Government Relations Advisor at Shell, gave an analysis of the energy demand and supply of emerging nations. The Hon. Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Energy, European Commission, highlighted the EU’s leadership on energy and climate policies, which can build an international consensus for combating climate change. As significant progress has been made during the Vienna E.U.-U.S. summit lasts year, there are more opportunities for transatlantic cooperation in the energy field. The discussion was moderated by Robert McNally, Managing Director of Tudor Investment Corporation.
His Excellency Klaus Scharioth, Ambassador of Germany to the United States, outlined the priorities of the German Presidency of the European Union, which runs January-June, 2007. He address a number of areas the Presidency will tackle, including the EU Constitution and enlargement, climate change, instability in the Middle East and global trade challenges such as intellectual property rights protections. He emphasized the need for a more cohesive transatlantic strategy on these and other global concerns and noted that transatlantic partnerships are vital to the success of the Presidency’s goals on these issues.
© COPYRIGHT THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTE 2009
You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from our site and redistribute by email or post to the web.