The 10th U.S.-EU Energy Council met April 4 in the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium.
The U.S.-EU Energy Council is "the lead transatlantic coordination forum on strategic energy issues for policy exchange and coordination at political and technical levels, according to an April 4 joint statement.
"Important discussion at today’s U.S.-EU Energy Council on our support for Ukraine and Moldova’s critical energy infrastructure, and our efforts to increase the stability and transparency of global energy markets," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a post on Twitter.
During the meeting, Blinken spoke to attendees and stressed the importance of strong U.S.-EU cooperation on energy security and a clean energy transition to fight climate change, according to a release of his remarks.
Blinken also noted the importance of fair competition in energy markets and addressing cybersecurity concerns in the energy sector, according to his remarks. Blinken also announced the launch of the U.S.-EU Partnership, which will focus on facilitating cooperation on various energy issues.
"When this council met Feb. 7, 2022, Russia was on the verge of invading Ukraine," Blinken said in his remarks. "Europe was on the verge of an energy crisis. President Putin bet that his threat of stopping gas supplies would deter Europe and the world from standing up to his aggression against Ukraine. He was wrong."
Blinken continued discussing Putin's attack, according to his remarks.
"He then doubled down – stopping natural gas supplies to many European countries, dramatically reducing flows to others, forcing record-high prices on millions in Europe and around the world," Blinken continued in his remarks. "He sought to wipe out Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure – damaging or destroying 50% of Ukraine’s grid, leaving millions without reliable power and heat. And again – he failed. Ukraine stands – and stands strong. Europe stands – and stands strong. The world is reducing its dependence on Russian energy, accelerating the transition to the green economy."
The U.S. and EU reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering cooperation on energy security, diversification and innovation, according to the joint statement.
The statement also highlighted the importance of supporting the Energy Partnership for Africa initiative, which focuses on promoting sustainable energy development in Africa. The statement emphasized the necessity of promoting fair competition in energy markets and called for the barriers to energy trade and investment to be removed.
