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Below is the summary of the report, highlighting particular outcomes and future recommendations that were a result of the discussions. 

To see photos of this Café Crossfire visit our Flickr gallery (bottom, right).

Sparking debate

The escalating violence in the Arab world has highlighted the need for Europe to diversify its energy supply, Friends of Europe's Café Crossfire discussion heard on 2 February. Representatives from the European Commission's Energy and Enlargement Directorate came together with officials from the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources to examine how to secure energy supplies.

The debate looked at the key supply routes between the Caspian region, Turkey and the EU, including the Nabucco pipeline and smaller projects, such as the Trans-Adriatic pipeline (TAP) and the Interconnector Turkey, Greece, Italy (ITGI). And with Turkish accession still high on the political agenda, the panel called for a shift from an ideological to a pragmatic debate, separating Ankara's membership bid from the need for an integrated energy market.

Opening the discussion, Friends of Europe’s Secretary General Giles Merritt said the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt underline energy insecurity "not only in the Arab world but also our interdependence". He was joined on the panel by Willy De Backer, Head of the Greening Europe Forum of Friends of Europe, who spoke of the geopolitical implications for the Caspian region and Turkey of what is happening in the Middle East.

For Stefano Sannino, the deputy director general for enlargement at the European Commission, the political uncertainty in the region makes it more important than ever for Europe to diversify its energy sources. "What is happening now in the Mediterranean is evidence of the volatility of certain political situations that can evolve over time," he said. "That's one of the main reasons behind the idea of having more sources. Diversification of resources remains at the core of EU policy."