On 7 May 2024, Natolin's Energy and Climate Nest hosted Mr Christian ZINGLERSEN, who delivered a lecture titled "Contemporary EU energy challenges and opportunities: linkages to broader competitiveness and transition pathways".
The main focus was on the key challenges and opportunities facing the EU in terms of its energy policy in the coming years. Part of this focus drew on recent lessons learnt from Europe’s energy crisis and some of the immediate implications that flow from it; these being linked to certain energy fundamentals that Europe will face in the foreseeable future.
Building on this overview, Mr ZINGLERSEN pointed to two key levers for the EU’s future competitive advantage within the area of energy, noting that these levers will not come about ‘automatically’, nor will they be ‘for free’. Rather, both will require significant effort and investment, whether measured in financial investment volumes or the amount of political capital required to make them happen.
In closing, the presentation touched upon a number of key political trade-offs that leaders across the EU face in the coming years; all linked to the nature of the energy transition ahead. Whilst some of these dilemmas are equally relevant for other transition-committed jurisdictions around the globe, some are specific to Europe and so are particularly pertinent for us to acknowledge and develop responses to.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mr ZINGLERSEN is the Director of ACER, The European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators since January 2020. In his professional career, among other positions, Mr ZINGLERSEN has served to the Clean Energy Ministerial Secretariat at the International Energy Agency (IEA) based in Paris, being the first head, and to the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities, and Climate, as a Deputy Permanent Secretary.