On 28 April, the EU-US Task Force on Energy Security met in person in Washington to discuss implementation of the 25 March Joint Statement by Presidents Biden and von der Leyen.
The meeting, chaired by Amos Hochstein, US Senior Advisor for Energy Security, and Björn Seibert, Head of Cabinet of the European Commission President, reviewed progress on diversifying natural gas supplies to Europe and reducing Europe's demand for natural gas. The discussion followed two recent Task Force convenings that included senior US and European Commission officials, representatives of EU Member States, and industry participants.
The sides also discussed the EU Energy Purchase Platform and plans to establish a framework to accelerate diversification of gas supply, including additional LNG supplies. The sides also discussed options to reduce Europe's demand for natural gas, including with the deployment of heat pumps, technologies that promote energy efficiency and savings such as smart thermostats, and renewable energy.
In the coming weeks, work will continue at technical and senior officials' levels, and the Task Force decided to reconvene in person in June, to assess progress on the workplan. Photo by Ichbinameya, Wikimedia commons.