EU legislation on energy taxation needs an update to promote efficient use of energy across the EU and reflect Europe’s climate change ambitions. The latest proposal for a revised energy taxation directive bases the level of taxation on CO₂ emissions as well as the energy content of each energy carrier. A single minimum rate of tax for CO₂ emissions would be introduced for all sectors not covered by the Emissions Trading Scheme, but this shift in taxation raises a number of questions.

This roundtable debate will ask what the bio-based economy is and how it can help the EU deal with its overarching priority to spur growth and create jobs. Questions will include how the bio-based economy can address challenges such as resource scarcity, sustainable agriculture and climate change, while also being profitable for farmers. It will highlight the technological edge Europe has over others, and look at what other regions are doing to promote the bio-based economy.

This summit will focus on how to tackle Africa’s water scarcities and how to improve Asia’s water governance. The debate will be over ways African governments should address water scarcities and what the private sector can do to boost infrastructural investment. It will examine what governments in Asia are doing in terms of water diplomacy to increase the diversity of water supplies for agriculture and energy.

With mixed reactions to the recent climate change talks in Durban, what initiatives can individuals pursue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Since the food sector accounts for about 30% of energy consumption and over 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, how can we curb the spread of our ‘Western’ diet, one that’s high in meat, dairy and processed food? And with the average European citizen eating almost 3,500 calories daily – 1,000 calories more than recommended – how can we stop the rising epidemic of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart and cerebrovascular diseases?

Friends of Europe’s annual Energy Policy Summit entitled “Europe’s uncertain energy future” co-organised by the International Energy Agency (IEA), EUROPIA, Statnett and EU40 and with the support of Swissgrid, TAP and ExxonMobil and will be held on Wednesday, 23 November 2011 in Brussels.The Arab spring, the Eurozone crisis, Fukushima and rising energy prices have greatly changed the outlook for Europe’s transition to a low-carbon energy system. What will be the new trends identified in the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2011? Will there also be a “Golden Age of Gas” in Europe and what is the vision of the European Commission for Europe’s long-term energy future as presented in its Energy Roadmap 2050 foresee for November?

Are current high oil prices just due to the crisis in Libya and tensions in the Middle East or are they a confirmation of the “end of cheap oil” as the International Energy Agency predicted last year. Has the world reached the peak of oil production and will future demand outstrip what oil producers can supply? How much oil is there really left and can and should the world move out of oil for climate security? These are some of the questions that will be addressed at this roundtable.

In Spring 2010, PwC, the European Climate Forum, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the International Institute for Applied System Analysis published an optimistic roadmap claiming 100% renewable electricity generation for Europe and North Africa is feasible by 2050.  Now, one year later, Europe’s focus is on budget deficits, saving the Euro, monitoring uprisings in the Middle East and leading NATO interventions in Libya. Has any progress really been made towards the 100% renewables roadmap in the last twelve months or have austerity cuts and the new potential “dash for gas” derailed the Renewables Roadmap?

Green Week 2011, organised by the European Commission’s DG Environment, will address the problem of resource depletion and scarcities. Green Week attracts over 4,000 participants from Europe and the rest of the world. Friends of Europe’s European Policy Summit, entitled "Europe's scarce resources strategy", will consist of two sessions focusing on Europe's response to the "scramble for global resources" and speeding up the revolution in how business thinks of resource efficiency.

With oil prices firmly above 100 dollars, increasing worries about future supply-demand challenges, the volatile political situation in the Middle East and recent concerns over nuclear power after Fukushima, the debate on energy security of supply and future energy mix is more actual than ever. Renewable energies are the obvious candidates to safeguard Europe’s energy security in the long-term. Have recent developments in the solar photovoltaic industry brought the industry closer to “grid parity”, the point at which solar becomes equal to or cheaper than conventional sources such as gas or coal?

What competitive advantages and opportunities can cloud computing provide for government business and citizens in several areas of the European economy such as health, transport or environmental protection. Can cloud computing be one of the key tools for the EU’s 2020 strategy for “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”? Can cloud computing be greened?

The financial crisis and the ensuing economic recession have seriously undermined the dominating neo-liberal growth agenda which was the basis for most macro-economic policies in Europe in the last 25 years. The belief in the free unchained market toward more growth has been shaken with some policymakers arguings for a return to neo-Keynesian and interventionist policies.

European Union and member states are partially on target for meeting the EU-wide 20% of energy from renewable sources by the year 2020. Though some sources need to be further developed, others such as photovoltaic and wind are very close to becoming sustainable, with investment, economies of scale and cross-border cooperation driving down costs. “Europe needs to move away from thinking about developing renewables in terms of sovereignty and realise that it is just plain and simple self-interest,” commented Philip Lowe, European Commission Director General for Energy.

Driving for economic recovery in an environmentally challenged world, optimizing resource efficiency while maintaining biodiversity and dealing with energy, climate and water issues dominate the global policy agenda. These trends show that our global existing models of production and consumption need rethinking.

2010 – the UN year of biodiversity – is a milestone year. Green Week 2010, organised by the European Commission’s DG Environment, addressed the state of biodiversity and nature in Europe and the world. Green Week attracts over 4,000 participants from all over Europe. Friends of Europe’s European Policy Summit focused on the role and responsibility of European, national, and regional policymakers in raising awareness of the link between resource use and the economy.

Can Europe’s citizens expect to see a determined new energy strategy that will also allay security concerns? Or will the Barroso II commission deliver a package that is more reminiscent of earlier ones that turned out to be statements of ambition rather than of effective new policies?

Europe needs to up its game to regain credibility on climate change said Luis Alfonso de Alba, Mexico’s Special Envoy for Climate Change at the Greening Europe Forum breakfast debate.

The Friends of Europe Café Crossfire on 3 February examined the road ahead following the drafting of the Copenhagen Accord in December. “A post mortem requires a corpse and, since there is no corpse, the negotiations are still under way,” allowed Karl Friedrich Falkenberg, European Commission Director General for the Environment.

European and Russian divisions over how to deal with the looming global energy crunch shone through at a Friends of Europe debate, co-organised with Total, on the role that energy companies should play in ensuring the EU’s energy security and combating global warming.