The Chair officially launched its activities with a High-Level Opening Policy Conference taking place at its Bruges campus on 24 April 2014.

The conference looked at the EU from outside (Where is the EU on the global energy picture?) as well as at the future of European energy governance. It brought together over 200 senior officials, stakeholders, experts from the EU energy sector and beyond and students from the College of Europe.

Mr Dominique RISTORI, Director-General for Energy, European Commission, delivered the keynote address

• Programme
• Background note on conference
• European Energy Chair Brochure
• Energy Group presentation

View pictures of event here: photos

View event page here: event page

Programme:

9.30 – 10.00 Welcome addresses – A new Chair on EU Energy Policy

• Sami ANDOURA, Professor & Chair holder, College of Europe’s Chair on European energy policy;
• Rosa GARCIA PINEIRO, Member of the Board of the Alcoa Foundation, and President Alcoa Spain

10.00 – 12.00 The EU from outside – Where is the EU on the global energy picture?

Chairman - Facilitator:  Pierre VIMONT, Executive Secretary General, European External Action Service;

Debaters from outside the EU

• Vladimir CHIZHOV, Russian Ambassador to the European Union
• Sohbet KARBUZ, Director of Hydrocarbons, Observatoire Méditerranéen de l’Energie (OME)
• Hasan Murat MERCAN, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Energy and Natural Ressources, Turkey
• Yanyi YANG, Ambassador of People’s Republic of China to the European Union

Discussant from the EU

• Dominique RISTORI, Director General, European Commission, DG ENER

13.30 – 15.30 Debate over the future of European Energy Governance - The one million question - How can the three key objectives of competitiveness, sustainable development and security of supply be reconciled?

Keynote Address

• Gunther OETTINGER, EU Commissioner for energy

Debaters

• Johannes MEIER, CEO, European Climate Foundation
• Susanne NIES, Head of Unit Energy Policy & Power Generation, EURELECTRIC
• Tomas SIGURDSSON, President Alcoa Europe and Global Primary Products EMEA
• Jorge VASCONCELOS, Chairman of New Energy Solutions, Member of the administrative board of ACER

Chairman - Facilitator

• Sami ANDOURA, Professor & Chair holder, College of Europe’s Chair on European energy policy

15.30 – 16.00 Concluding remarks - One month after the European Council, what is the direction for EU energy policy?

Prof. Konstantinos MATHIOUDAKIS, Secretary General for Energy & Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Energy & Climate Change