Stephen Keil, intern for the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, writes for Natural Gas Europe on Carlos Pascual’s April 3 remarks at the Atlantic Council:
Fresh from the US-EU Energy Council meeting in Brussels the day prior, US Department of State Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Carlos Pascual shared his perspectives and prospective energy policies to a distinguished audience of industry leaders, policy makers, and media at the Atlantic Council. The Ukraine Crisis has brought European energy security back into the spotlight, and he stressed a theme through his speech for Europe to capitalize: competition.
Pascual’s address focused on natural gas, noting that natural gas is a critical commodity in Europe’s energy equation. According to Pascual, competition is paramount, to give consumers choice and strength when evaluating a source of supply. US LNG exports to Europe has been popular in the Washington DC policy community, but Pascual noted that greater American gas production has already aided European energy security in the long term, by increasing the liquidity in gas markets. The United States has helped encourage a global trading system of competition that will enhance European energy security as a whole.