A new Gas Paradigm in Eastern Europe?

Energy security in Eastern Europe is shaped by reliance on Russian gas. The expansion of the global LNG market offers improved opportunities to reduce this reliance – if the gas can flow into the region. Is it possible there is emerging a shift in the region’s reliance on Russian gas? Can LNG from terminals in Croatia and Poland alter this dependency? And, what could be Russia’s reaction to this new paradigm? These questions will be examined to find out if the region has moved beyond the failed projects of Nabucco and South Stream. If a new paradigm is emerging then the European Union and the Energy Union may be finally impacting the region’s energy security. The long-term implications are set to rebalance energy security relations. Notable experts on LNG markets and Russia are assembled for this discussion.

Time and date: Tuesday, October 17, 2017, 16:30 – 17:30. Popper room

Central European University

Nador utca 9, Budapest 1051

Speakers:

Andras Deak, Head of Research Group and Senior Researcher, Institute of World Economics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Akos Losz, Research Analyst, The Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs

Introduction and moderation

Professor Michael LaBelle, Jean Monnet Chair in Energy and Innovation Strategies, Central European University, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy and Department of Economics and Business

Biographies

Andras Deak is a widely recognized policy expert on EU and Post-Soviet energy policy. This includes publications on EU-Russia energy relations, the Russian economy and EU Eastern Policy. His professional experiences include the position as research director at the Central European University in the Center for EU Enlargement Studies, as well as working as a research fellow in the field of Post-soviet and Energy Policies at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs. He holds an MA degree and a Ph.D. in international relations from the Corvinus University of Budapest.

Akos Losz's research focuses on global natural gas markets and infrastructure. He co-authored publications in journals including Foreign Affairs, Oxford Energy Forum and Horizons, and contributed to major CGEP research reports on the global gas market implications of American LNG exports and on the implications of lifting the crude oil export ban in the U.S. Prior to joining Columbia, Akos was senior analyst at the New York office of Douglas-Westwood. Previously, he had worked in the Strategy Development team of MOL Group. He holds an MA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and completed undergraduate and graduate studies at the Corvinus University of Budapest in Hungary.

Michael LaBelle is an associate professor and the Jean Monnet Chair in Energy and Innovation Strategies at Central European University. He holds a joint appointment between the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy and the Department of Economics and Business. His research is centered on energy governance, innovation strategies, and energy justice. He holds an MSc and PhD in Geographical Sciences from the University of Bristol.

This event is partially supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union through the Jean Monnet Chair in Energy and Innovation Strategies