European energy security: One year into Russia’s war in Ukraine

The ECFR Warsaw Office and Forum Energii invite you to attend the conference “European energy security” to reflect on how the events of recent months are affecting energy security in Europe and what the priorities should be in the coming period

, Berlin time (CEST, UTC+2)
Venue: Centralny Dom Technologii, ul. Krucza 50, 00-025 Warszawa
Livestream will be available in this page
Renewable Energy
Image by Marc Duchene

In its aggression against Ukraine, Russia used Europe’s dependence on its fuels as an element of pressure. The European Union reacted in solidarity and decided on a radical step – economic sanctions and cutting off supplies from Russia. 

The next few months will significantly impact the approach to energy security. The relationship between the European Union and the United States is essential to break the dependence on Russia. Traditionally, energy security meant secure fossil fuel supply chains. Now, this definition should change. Renewables and energy efficiency will play an increasingly important role. An energy system based on variable energy sources has many advantages, but it needs to be much more flexible to operate safely and reliably. It is also pushing us toward dependence on rare earth metals imports. What should be the new definition of energy security? How is the energy transition changing our approach to it? 

The war in Ukraine has another energy dimension affecting the energy security of the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood. Russia has decided to destroy the energy infrastructure in Ukraine to make it more difficult to rebuild the country after the war. Russia exploited Moldova’s dependence on Russian gas and electricity supplies to deepen the country’s energy crisis by exerting political pressure on Chisinau. For the world, which has already come out in support of Ukraine, this means a more significant commitment to restoring heat and electricity supplies. What should the reconstruction of Ukraine look like? What needs do Ukraine and Moldova have? What are the priorities? How to make the energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Moldova more resilient? We will be answering all these questions and more during our conference. 

Objectives of the event: 

  • Diagnose energy security deficits in Europe;
  • Draw lessons from the crisis for enhancing Europe’s energy resilience; 
  • Prepare for the next winter  
  • While diversifying from Russian fuels, how to avoid other dependencies?  
  •  Exchange opinions on the directions, ways, and tools for rebuilding Ukraine’s energy sector after the war and improving the energy security of the EU’s Eastern neighbours. 

If you would like to attend the conference, please email [email protected]

Agenda

09:30 – 09:45 | Welcome and introduction

09:45 – 11:15 | One year after the full-scale Russian invasion. The impact on Europe’s energy security

11:30 – 13:00 | Energy transition as a component of energy security

13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch

14:30 – 16:00 | US and Europe: how to avoid the trade conflict and deepen energy cooperation?

16:15 – 17:45 | Long-term European energy security. Possible future dependencies and how to reduce them

18:00 – 19:30 |  Energy security in the Eastern neighbourhood of the European Union: Towards the energy integration of Ukraine and Moldova with the EU

19:30 – 19:45 | Summary of the conference