Seminar over veiligstellen energievoorziening in de Europese Unie (en)

The French Presidency of Council of the European Union is organising a seminar on European energy security on 1 December 2008. This seminar is nor open to the press.

This seminar will be an opportunity for dialogue between national and European politicians, energy sector companies, international organisations and actors from civil society. It will take place shortly after the European Commission publishes its second strategic analysis of the energy situation in November 2008. It will also allow the participants to compare their expectations on energy security with the positions and projects of national and Community authorities

Being held in the framework of the Trio Presidency of the Council - comprising France, the Czech Republic and Sweden - the seminar will focus heavily on energy security issues until the end of 2009. It is also be an important milestone in the preparation of two key stages in the Trio's work programme: the adoption in spring 2009 of the second strategic analysis of the energy situation, which the European Commission will publish in autumn 2008, and the definition of the EU Energy Action Plan from 2010 onwards.

Furthermore, the new European Security Strategy, published by the Secretary General of the Council, is expected in autumn 2008 and should include a section devoted to the EU's external energy policy.

This seminar will play a central role in the forthcoming decisive series of conferences for European energy diplomacy: the EU-Russia Summit on 14 November, the annual Energy Charter conference on 28 November, and the Energy Community on 11 December.

This meeting is closed to the press.