The Transatlantic Energy Forum brought together experts from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss a diverse range of viewpoints on energy and climate change in an effort to enhance transatlantic cooperation
In 2007, CSIS launched a Transatlantic Energy Forum (TEF), a series of conferences that convened a select group of European and American policymakers as well as energy and climate change experts to exchange views and develop recommendations for greater EU-U.S. energy and climate change cooperation. CSIS sought to launch the TEF against a backdrop of growing global energy demand, tightening supplies and rising prices as well as the increasingly problematic issue of global warming. The rationale for the project rested on the assumption that energy and climate change have the potential to become dangerous and destabilizing factors in international relations but if addressed competently and comprehensively, they could also serve as a foundation for global and regional cooperation. While circumstances and approaches differ across the Atlantic, the goal for energy security is the same: to ensure sufficient supply at reasonable prices while looking to new sources and technologies for the future. The shared values and overlapping interests of the United States and the European Union, along with their combined global weight and influence, makes transatlantic convergence of common or complementary energy and climate change policies a driver capable of shaping the global energy picture.