On the final day of the ICD program “Europe Meets Russia: A Forum for Young Leaders” the group were fortunate to have a seminar with Political Advisor to Deutsche BP, Enno Harks. Mr Harks joined BP in May 2007 and advises the CEO, the German board, and staff on strategic energy policy issues in Europe, particularly focussing on cooperative relations with Russia.
Before becoming Political Advisor to Deutsche BP, Mr Harks served as an energy analyst with the International Energy Agency (IEA) in the Office for Oil Markets and Emergency Preparedness. Mr Harks has also been the Senior Energy Expert to the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin, an advisory body attached to the German Chancellor's Office. During his position there, he advised the government and officials on international oil and gas market developments. He has participated in various conferences and was invited to the German Energy Summit, set up by the German Chancellor's Office to further develop a German energy policy to 2020.
With such a rich and experienced background, the ICD was particularly honoured to host Mr Hark’s, who was in turn more than willing to share his expertise with the group. Mr Harks spoke in detail and at length about the salient political and geo-strategic issues concerning the supply and availability of oil and gas in Europe. Much of his lecture focused on the subject of political cooperation between Europe and Russia, since it is one of the biggest providers of oil and gas in Europe. Mr Harks developed an argument by suggesting that Europe is becoming far too reliant on Russian oil and gas reserves, which may lead to a number of problems in the medium and long term. His presentation was followed by a question and answer session where participants challenged Mr Harks on how Deutsche BP intends to make the oil and gas markets more global.
Snapshot: The Nabucco Pipeline
A planned natural gas pipeline which will be the first to not cross over Russian Territory. The pipeline will cross through Turkey, from Erzurum, all the way towards Baumgarten an der March in Austria. The projected aim of the pipeline is to lessen European dependency on Russian energy especially since the gas disputes with the Ukraine. It aims to diversify the present gas suppliers and delivery routes to Europe. Supported by many EU states and the US, it is said to be a contentious rival to the proposed Gazprom-led South Stream pipeline. The main supplier is to be Azerbaijan, but also in cooperation with Egypt, Iraq and Turkmenistan. Preparations commenced in 2002 and the intergovernmental agreement was signed between Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria in 2009. The expected operational date for the pipeline is 2015 and will be able to carry 31 billion cubic meters of natural gas every year. However, Russian officials have said that this attempt of the European Union is only another part of the so-called ‘Russophobia’ and will continue to widen the existing gap between Russia and the European Union.
