Role of governments and international organisations in promoting energy security

Putting the global energy economy on a secure and sustainable path of development will require renewed efforts from governments and international organisations. This was a key message from a high-level Conference, organised jointly by the Energy Charter Secretariat, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on 25 October 2006 in Brussels, on the role of governments and international organisations in promoting energy security .

Representatives of governments, industry and other stakeholders from across Eurasia and across the Atlantic were welcomed at the Conference by Karel De Gucht, Foreign Minister of Belgium and OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

"Energy security will remain on top of the global political agenda. Therefore, I call on all countries to acknowledge the importance of strengthening dialogue and co-operation not only between governments themselves, but also between governments and industry",

said Mr De Gucht.

"In my view, the OSCE should stand ready to provide its political platform to strengthen regional and global long-term energy security with a view to contributing to reliability, security and affordability of energy."

"We do face challenges to international energy security",

said Henning Christophersen, Chairman of the Energy Charter Conference, in his opening statement.

"During 2006 we have seen tight capacity in energy markets, consistently high prices, disruptions to supply, and further evidence of the urgent need to address the environmental impact of energy use. Working individually and also collectively through international organisations, governments can meet these challenges, but they have to ensure that the right legal and regulatory framework is in place. From the perspective of the Energy Charter, the right framework is one that is open to investment, innovation and trade, and one that encourages energy efficiency."

Ambassador William Ramsay, Deputy Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, underlined the need for transparent and coherent governance in order to maintain investor confidence and secure upstream investment.

"For this enhanced market diversity is also important, to complement well-established trade links and to strengthen overall energy sector performance."

Speakers at the Conference include high-level representatives from energy producing states - Russia, Iran, Norway - from major transit countries such as Ukraine, as well as from net energy importers such as the European Union and the United States. The objective of the Conference is to identify points of converging interest, and policies and instruments that can provide a constructive framework for international energy cooperation and enhanced energy security.

Programme and Presentations

Welcome and Opening Statements

Welcome: André Mernier, Secretary General, Energy Charter Secretariat

Karel De Gucht, Foreign Minister of Belgium, OSCE Chairman-in-Office

Henning Christophersen, Chairman, Energy Charter Conference

William C. Ramsay, Deputy Executive Director, International Energy Agency

Perspectives on the International Energy Scene after the G8 St.-Petersburg Summit

Moderator: André Mernier, Secretary General, Energy Charter Secretariat

Views from governments

Russian Federation: Alexander Gorban, Deputy Director of the Economic Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (original in Russian, unofficial translation in English by the Secretariat)

United States: Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of State

Finland - Presidency of the European Union: Arto Lepistö, Deputy Director General, Energy Market Division, Ministry of Trade and Industry

Views from international organisations

The Increasing Investment Needs: William C. Ramsay, Deputy Executive Director, International Energy Agency

The Role of an International Legal Framework: Andrei Konoplyanik, Deputy Secretary General, Energy Charter Secretariat (slides: speech)

Producer-Consumer Dialogue: Arne Walther, Secretary General, International Energy Forum

Upstream: Access to resources

Moderator: Olivier Appert, President, Institut Français du Pétrole

Resource Management: the Norwegian Example: Elisabeth Berge, Secretary General, Royal Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, Norway

The Role of International Oil Companies: Norbert Liermann, EU Affairs Manager, International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP)

Lunch address: Presentation on the OSCE Energy Security Information Mission: Bernard Snoy, Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities

Transportation: Access to infrastructure

Moderator: Hilal Raza, Director General, Hydrocarbon Institute of Pakistan

Maintaining Ukrainian Energy Transit for the Future: Sergiy Titenko, Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine

The Samsun-Ceyhan Pipeline: An Example of the Challenges for New Oil and Gas Pipelines: Pietro Cavanna, Caspian Sea Production & Export Project Manager, ENI S.p.A

Iranian Gas Export Options: Pipeline vs. LNG? Assadollah Maleknejad, International Energy Consultant, Former Director, Gas Marketing and Export, National Iranian Oil Company

Downstream: Access to markets

Moderator: Mithat Rende, Deputy Director General of Energy, Water and Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

Energy Security from a Georgian Perspective: Isak Novruzov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Georgia

The Importance of Open Markets for Energy Security: Christian Cleutinx, Director, DG TREN, European Commission

Global Perspectives of Russia's Energy Export Markets: Leonid Grigoriev, President of the Institute of Energy and Finance, Russian Federation