[Index]
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
A COMMON EUROPEAN
ECONOMIC SPACE AND
NEW CHALLENGES FOR THE ENERGY SECTOR
UNECE Working
Party on Gas Takes a Look
at the Common European Economic Space
and its Significance for the Energy Sector
Room VII, Palais
des Nations, Geneva
10:30 a.m., 21 January 2003
Geneva, 17 January
2003 - Europe's energy dependence
is expected to rise sharply over the next
10-20 years. Forecasts indicate that the
increasing energy imports will have to
come from more distant areas and countries,
with the incoming oil and natural gas
pipelines crossing regions with both high
political and economic risks. Furthermore,
to secure the required incoming energy
flow it is estimated that massive investments
could be needed in the energy producing
areas surrounding western Europe, such
as Russia, countries of Central Asia and
southern Mediterranean.
Coupled with the ongoing
energy market liberalization in Europe
and the desire of the energy exporting
countries to receive a fair share of market
value for their energy exports, the emerging
new energy landscape in Europe poses several
key questions for governments and the
energy industry. Are the current political,
institutional and economic arrangements
between Europe and its neighbouring countries
appropriate to meet the challenges of
the new energy era? Are these arrangements
conducive to the achievement of the energy-related
goals of both Europe and its neighbours?
What are the alternative and/or appropriate
public and corporate responses to these
challenging energy issues in the changing
political and economic structure of Europe
and the European Union, and its repercussions
for neighbouring regions and individual
countries? Will the creation of a wider
Common European Economic Space, so strengthening
political and economic ties between Europe,
countries of the former Soviet Union and
the southern Mediterranean, assist in
solving the key energy issues in that
part of the UNECE region?
The above mentioned and
related topics will be discussed at the
forthcoming United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe's (UNECE) Working Party on
Gas' Round Table on Common European
Economic Space - New Challenges for the
Energy Sector during its annual
session on Tuesday, 21 January beginning
at 10:30 a.m. in Salle VII of the Palais
des Nations.
The panellists for the
Round Table are: Mr. Togrul Bagirov,
Executive Vice President, Moscow International
Petroleum Club, Moscow, on behalf of Russian
oil companies including Lukoil; Mr.
Wilfried Czernie, Senior General
Manager, Ruhrgas; Mr. Jacques
Deyirmendjian, Group President,
Gaz de France; Mr. Frank Duffield,
Vice President, Central & Eastern
Europe, Russia & Central Asia, Shell
Gas & Power; Mr. Ivan Ivanov,
Deputy Director, Institute for Europe,
Moscow and until recently Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Federation;
Mr. Gerhard Lohan, Head
of Russian, Belorussian, Moldavian and
Ukrainian Unit in the External Relations
Directorate General, European Commission;
Mr. Rainer Seele, CEO
Wingas & Board Member, Wintershall;
and Mr. Sergei Balashov,
First Deputy Head of Foreign Relations
Department, Gazprom.
For more information
please contact:
Mr. Sead
Vilogorac
Industrial Restructuring, Energy &
Enterprise Development Division
United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UNECE)
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Telephone: +41(0)22 917 24 62
Telefax: +41(0)22 917 00 38
E-mail: [email protected] |
Mr.
Alexandre Chachine
Industrial Restructuring, Energy
& Enterprise Development Division
United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UNECE)
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Telephone: +41(0)22 917 24 51
Telefax: +41(0)22 917 00 38
E-mail: [email protected]
|
Web site: http://www.unece.org/energy/nrghome.html
Ref: ECE/IREEDD/03/P01