On 12-13 May 2011 the CEU held a Transatlantic Energy Governance Dialogue on the potential for shale gas to transform European energy security. The conference – which was titled Shale Gas: A Game Changer for European Energy Security? – meant to promote transatlantic dialogue on energy security and governance issues. It was organized with support from the Global Public Policy Institute, the Brookings Institution, the European Commission, the Dräger Foundation and the Norwegian Embassy in Budapest.
Major changes in gas markets in recent years have led several observers to call shale gas a “sea change” in European energy security. The conference explored the transatlantic dimension of this shale gas “sea change” and the governance challenges that have emerged on a variety of fronts. To promote constructive debate on these issues, it brought together professionals from all relevant sectors – governments, NGOs, business, the media, think tanks and universities (see also the related video).
Speakers included (among others): Nick Butler, chair of the King’s Policy Institute at King’s College and former group vice-president for strategy and policy development at BP; Paul Stevens, senior research fellow at the Chatham House in London and emeritus professor at the University of Dundee; László Varró, head of the gas, coal and power markets division at the International Energy Agency; Cho Khong, chief political analyst at Shell; Anita Orbán, ambassador-at-large for energy security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hungary; Pál Kovács, deputy state secretary for energy affairs in Hungary’s Ministry for National Development; and Geir Westgaard, vice president for EU Affairs in the Statoil Brussels office.
To see the conference flyer for the public portion of the event, please click here.
For more information, please contact Katalin Horvath.