2012 EU-U.S. Energy Council Meeting in Brussels

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Delegation of the European Union to the United States

Dec 04, 2012, 01:30 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tomorrow, December 5, 2012, the EU-U.S. Energy Council will meet in Brussels for the fourth time since it was established in November 2009.

The European Union High Representative and Vice President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton and the Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger will welcome the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will be accompanied by Deputy U.S. Secretary for Energy Daniel Poneman, at the Headquarters of the European External Action Service. Neoklis Sylikiotis, Minister of Commerce, Industry & Tourism, will represent the Cypriot Presidency.

In the EU-U.S. Energy Council, the European Union and United States work to promote transparent and stable global energy markets. Stable energy markets are important for jobs and growth in Europe and the United States and influence the health of the global economy as a whole. Beyond their respective regions, the EU and the U.S. both support the UN Secretary General's initiative 'Sustainable Energy for All' which aims to provide access to those 1.3 billion people who have no access to any modern form of energy. The EU-U.S. Energy Council is also the forum where the world's two largest economic blocs co-operate on regulatory policies that encourage the safe, efficient and sustainable use of energy.

The meeting will discuss EU/U.S. co-operation to enhance energy security through the diversification of gas and oil supply sources and routes. This year there is also a focus on the regulatory frameworks that encourage more efficient use of energy sources. The meeting will also look at how to decarbonise our economies, to avert global climate change, while securing sustainable future growth. EU and U.S. scientific and technological leadership, underpinned by carefully targeted funding and deeper Trans-Atlantic co-operation, is critical to achieving the necessary breakthroughs.

Other themes before this year's Energy Council will include the development, testing and deployment of technologies such as smart grids, which in turn will facilitate electric mobility, and the deployment and storage of zero-emission sources, such as wind, solar and ocean energy. The EU-U.S. Energy Council will signal its openness to work with emerging partners, such as China and India. A truly global effort is needed to harness new energy opportunities and tackle the climate threats the world is facing.

Photographs and video coverage of the meeting will be available on the Delegation's Facebook site http://www.facebook.com/EUintheUS and on Europe by Satellite.

SOURCE Delegation of the European Union to the United States