ENERGY FORUM
PRAGUE
23-24 OCTOBER 2006
Partner: 
The old continent may ensure its energy security, yet it must put in enormous effort and bear great costs. There are three energy transmission systems operating in the region of the Baltic Sea and Central and Eastern Europe. However, their capacities for integration and cross-border transmission are limited. The EU opts for separation of transmission, distribution and production of electricity. Finally, diversification of directions and security of gas supplies constitute major priorities of energy policy of the importers.
This year's Energy Forum was devoted to these issues. Energy Forum subject constituted a part of agenda of the Economic Forum in Krynica, where discussions and meetings related to fuels and energy proved to be genuinely popular. To elaborate on the debates held in Krynica at greater length, the Institute organizes special conferences which are dedicated to individual subjects and attended by prominent decision-makers and experts. The Energy Forum is organized in collaboration with Radio Free Europe and was held in Prague at the building of the radio.
The debates were officially opened by the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Mr. Mirek Topolanek, who mentioned the issue of the Russian energy dependency. In his opinion, “Russia, by controlling oil and gas fields and trying to extend its control over distribution networks - is using energy as a political tool to further its geopolitical aims.”
In his speech, the Prime Minister, urged the EU countries to search for the alternative resources of energy supplies: “This pressure from Russia is causing a lot of anxiety, and that is why the European Union should not stop trying to diversify its energy supplies, whether in terms of [using] other [oil and gas] fields or supply routes," Topolanek said. "I think not doing so would be a big mistake. Such mistakes are made once in a century. And I think such a mistake would be fatal".
Topolanek criticized controversial plans for a pipeline under the Baltic Sea linking Russia and Germany, calling it more of a "threat" than an advantage.
The Czech prime minister also predicted a resurgence of nuclear power in Europe, which he welcomed as an alternative. "I think new nuclear technologies are the future of Europe," he said. "I was in Finland when they decided to build a new nuclear reactor. This was the right decision, and it was tied to lowering Finland's energy dependence and raising the diversification of its energy supplies".
“The debates that took place during the Energy Forum confirm the thesis, that the energy security is the key issue in the present-day European politics. The decisions, which the EU should take, must take under consideration the interest of all member states, including the one that entered the Union in 2004. The base for the common EU energy policy should be a deeply rooted solidarity of all member states and loyalty in establishing the relations with Russia” - said Zygmunt Berdychowski, the Chairman of the Economic Forum Council.
According to the Chairman of the Economic Forum council “The lack of the alternative sources of energy supplies in a short run should never be used by Russia as a political sword. Such behavior would have negative results both for Russia and the EU".
 Mirek Topolanek, Prime Minister of Czech Republic |
 Plenary session room |
 Donald Jensen Comunication Director, Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty |
 Zygmunt Berdychowski, Chairman of the Economic Forum Programme Council |
 Audronius Ažubalis,Deputy Chairman, Committee of Foreign Affairs, Lithuanian Parliament |
 Flynt Leverett,Director of Geopolitics and Energy Security Project, New America Foundation |
 Matthew Boland, Spokesperson, IAEA, USA |
 Jelena Telegina,Association of Russian Crude Oil Exporters,former President of the Board, Rosneft |
 Mirek Topolanek, Prime Minister of Czech Republic - in the background Jerzy Buzek MEP |
 Edward Chow, energy consultant for major U.S. and international energy companies |
 Steve Pifer, former US Ambassador to Ukraine |
Jiøi Pehe, Director of New York University in Prague |
 Mychailo Gonczar, Deputy Head of the Board, Ukrtransnafta, Ukraine |
 Pawe³ Zalewski,Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Sejm, Poland |
 Robert Larsson, Swedish Defence Research Agency |
 Artem Malgin, Advisor to the Director of MGIMO, Russia |
 Vaira Paegle, MP, Chairman, Committee of Foreign Affairs, Parliament, Latvia |
 Vladimir Dlouhy, Goldman Sachs Europe, former Minister of Economy |
 Press Conference, with participation of Czech Prime Minister |
 The Iranian Crisis – Cross-Perspectives -Russia/China/Azerbaijan /U.S./EU |
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PROGRAMME
DOWNLOAD DETAILED PROGRAMME
Monday, 23 October
Inauguration and key remarks
Mirek Topolanek, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
Seminars:
• Energy as a Factor of Stability and Security
• The Iranian Crisis – Cross-Perspectives -Russia/China/Azerbaijan/U.S./EU
• Central Eastern European Energy Security
• Gas Wars in Europe and Central Asia
• Energy Supply Security Issues in the Baltic Regio
Event:
• Fuel barons from “The list of the wealthiest people in the Central and
Eastern Europe” presented by Wprost weekly
Tuesday, 24 October
Seminars:
• How do Companies’ Business Strategies Become part of a State Energy
Policy?
• Gas and Oil –Alternative supply routes to Europe. Business or Politics:
A chance or a threat?
• Human Rights and Energy
Event:
• Screening of a documentary "The Pipeline next door" directed by Nino
Kirtadze
Transmision was possible thanks to EXATEL - Partner of Economic Forum
read more about Exatel
PARTICIPANTS
Participtants of the Energetic Forum came from twenty one countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bialorus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Iran, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukarine, USA, Hungary, Great Britan, Italy).
Mr Mirek Topolanek, the Prime Minister of Czech Republic opened the meeting. Some of the politicians participated:
• Ažubalis Audronius, Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Foreign Affairs,
Lithuanian Parliament
• Buzek Jerzy, Member of European Parliament
• Oleh Dutkin, Director of Secretary of Energy Commision, Parliament of Ukraine
• Dlouhy Vladimir, Goldman Sachs Europe, former Minister of Economy, Czech Republic
• Irakli Ghvaladze, Deputy Minister of Enviroment Protection and natural Resources,
Georgia
• Herczog Edit, Member of the European Parliament
• Ignotas Anicetas, Under Secretary, Ministry of Economy, Lithuania
• Tamaz Khidesheli, President of Enviroment Protection and Natural Resources
Commission, Georgia
• Kondrot Maros, Chairman of the Economy Committee, Slovakia
• Krylov Sergei, Former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Russia
• Janos Latorcai, Deputy President of Economy Committee, Parliament of Hungary
• Paegle Vaira, Chairman of the Committee of Foreign Affairs, Parliament of Latvia
• Laszlo Puch, President of Economy Committee, Parliament of Hungary
• Puch Laszlo, Chairman of the Economy Committee of the Parliament, Hungary
• Diana Stefanova, Ministry of Economy, Acting Head of Energy European
Integration Department, Bulgaria
• Ciril Svoboda, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic
• Dušan Vojtech, Secretary General, Ministry of Economy, Slovakia
• Zalewski Pawe³, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of Poland
• Many of parliamentarians, among others: Magdalena Vasaryova
(Slovakia), Istvan Jozsa (Hungary), Edvard Outrata (Czech Republic)
EXPERTS inter alia:
• Flynt Leverett, Advised the president and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice on relations with Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Former National Security Council adviser on the Middle East. He was involved in developing President Bush's approach to promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace.
• Edward Chow – universally recognized as an authority on the subject of energy. Advisor to USA government, international corporations. Specialist on energy in developing countries. Member of National Committee for American – Chinese Relations.
• Matthew Boland, Spokesman of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and International Atomic Energy Agency (a specialized agency of the United Nations and serves as an intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology worldwide).
• Christopher Walker, Director of Studies, Freedom House, a research institute focused on promoting liberal democracy in the world. Freedom House is best known for its annual reports on the degree of democratic freedoms in each country in the world, by which it seeks to assess the current state of civil and political rights in every nation on Earth.
• Mychailo Gonczar, Vice chairman of Ukrtransnafta, Ukraine
• Keith Smith, Former U.S. ambassador to Lithuania. His additional posts in Europe include Hungary (twice), Norway, and Estonia. In all three countries, he served as acting ambassador (chargé d'affaires) for extended periods. Senior associate in the Europe Program in the Center for Strategic and Security Studies. Former director of area studies at the Foreign Service Institute.
• Steven Pifer Former US Ambassador to Ukraine. Senior Adviser with the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs with responsibility for Russia and Ukraine. Special Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia.
• Chris Cragg is a journalist with 20 years experience of reporting energy
formerly editor in chief at BP, editor of FT Energy World, FT Energy
International Gas Report. He is an Associate Fellow of the Oxford
Studies and is a frequent broadcaster.
• Julian Lee, Senior Energy Analyst , Deputy Editor of the Global Oil Report. Specialist in oil market analysis, Russia, the Caspian Sea and West Africa, producing major studies on the oil and gas industries of these regions. Holds an MSc degree in operational Research from the London School of Economics.
• John Roberts, Energy Security Specialist, Platts - the world's leading provider of energy information. Platts is the most recognized and respected information company in the energy industry.
• Walter Posch, Dr. Phil., Senior Research Fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies (Paris). Former lecturer on Islamic fundamentalism and extremism and regional expert for Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan at the National Defence Academy (LVAK) of the Austrian Army in Vienna.
• Liviu Muresan, Ph.D, Executive President of Eurisc Foundation, Romania, Deputy adviser to the Prime Minister, 1991-1999 - Senior adviser to the Romanian Government. (main areas: national security and European & Euro-Atlantic integration). Regional projects partner at World Institute for Disaster Risk Management in Washington.
• Jelena Telekina, Member of the Board, Association of Russian Crude Oil Exporters, Institute of Energy and Politics, Russia, former Minister of Energy and Fuels, Russia
• Tashchev Dmitri, Adviser to President of the Board, Association of European Business In Russia, former Vice President of the Board of BP Moscow, Russia
• Jiøi Pehe, Director of New York University in Prague, political analyst, author of hundreds of articles and analytical studies on developments in Eastern Europe for American, Czech, and German periodicals and academic journals. Chief Political Advisor to former Czech President Václav Havel. Former director of Analysis and Research Department at the Open Media Research Institute in Prague.
• Jan Leijonhielm, Head of Russian and Early Warning Studies at FOI, Deputy manager for Senior Intelligence Courses at FHS, Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI),
author of numerous studies and books concerning Russian economy, defence economy, Russian security policy, strategic raw materials and terrorism. He is a regular lecturer at Stockholm, Uppsala and Lund universities; member of the Swedish Royal Academy of War Sciences
• Harro Pitkänen, Senior Vice-President, Head of Area Europe & Eurasia in the Nordic Investment Bank.
The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) is a multilateral financial institution that finances private and public projects which have high priority with the member countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden) and the borrowers.
• Artoush Mktrchyan, Director Caucasian Center for Proposing Nontraditional Conflict Resolution Methods (CCPNTCRM)
• Michai³ Winogradow, Ekspert, Direktor of Analysis Department , Director of Political Consulting Department “Propaganda”, former “AwtoWAZban” bank expert.
• Igor Prokofiew - Deputy Director, Centre for Strategic Studies, worked for National Mineral Resources Institute and National Committee for Science and Technologies, Russia
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