On March 5, the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center and Energy and Environment Program  held an off-the-record discussion on “The European Union’s External Energy Policy Priorities with Special Focus on Russia and Ukraine.”

Paula Abreu Marques and Jeffery Piper of the Directorate General for Energy at the European Commission presented an updated picture of the complex state of play regarding the EU-Russia, EU-Ukraine, and Russia-Ukraine energy triangle as well as potential collaboration between the EU and the US. The EU is increasingly reliant on energy imports and faces major challenges to secure affordable external energy resources in the coming decades. The EU has high ambitions to speak in one voice when it comes to external energy policy and has achieved significant progress on that front in recent years. Topics covered included sovereign competency and internal policy within the EU, source and origin diversification, role of key suppliers, climate change, political realities, rule of law, and the future of the European Energy Community.

The conversation was introduced by Eurasia Center Director Ross Wilson, moderated by Deputy Director David Koranyi, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow Adnan Vatansever and Energy and Environment Associate Director Mihaela Carstei added commentary.

Related Experts: Adnan Vatansever, David Koranyi, and Ross Wilson