World's richest Countries (Qatar+EFTA) to join EU fight v. Crisis at Energy + Banks Strasbourg Forum

EU must debate with key European and Global players to find a New Strategy in front of "a New Balance between Energy and Banks", in order to meet EU Citizens' Energy and Environment needs with the right Projects in front of the Crisis, replied EU Rapporteur, MEP Paul Rübig to "EuroFora", announcing an innovative Forum on Energy supply and Financial markets, next week in EU Parliament in Strasbourg.

The richest countries in the World in GDP per capita, Lichtenstein and Qatar, famous also by its involvement in key EU and UNO projects, will join Strasbourg's European Forum on Energy and Financial crisis, which brings together politicians, experts, producers and investors from 27 EU Member States and EFTA (Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland), as well as some Global Economic players, announced EU Rapporteur, Austrian MEP Paul Rübig (ChristianDemocrat/ EPP), and the Chairwoman of EU - EEA JPCommittee, Bilyana Raeva (Liberal).

To find out how EU can pay for big infrastructure projects after the crisis, and if it must find new ways to meet its needs, EU Commissioners for Energy and External Relations, Anders Piebalgs and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will be among the key-note speakers in Strasbourg's "Forum for Security of Energy Supplies and the impact on Financial Markets".

- We want to see what Europe can do to protect EU Citizens, by preserving the Climat and ensuring affordable Energy, stressed Rübig in a Press Conference.

Currently, each EU Citizen pays 700 € per year for Energy. But most Fossil Energy enters the EU from only 2 countries, Norway and Russia, from which the flow is uncertain, as it may diminish or be partly blocked., while the International Energy Agency expects that, until 2030, World's needs will augment up to +60%

Timely, the move comes when EU intensively prepares a series of crucial Summits of Heads of States and Governments on EU-World issues : The same week that EU Parliament will be debating with UK Prime Minister Brown in Strasbourg the April London G-Summit on Global Economic and Financial Crisis, where new US President Obama will start his 1st visit to Europe at the eve of NATO's Strasbourg Summit (3-4 April 2009), preceded by a meeting with French President Sarkozy at Normandie and followed by an EU - USA Summit organized by Czech Prime Minister Topolanek at Prague.

The idea is to see how Alternative Sources and our Partners would be able to interfere with EU Energy Security supply, said Chairwoman Raeva.

The Conference, organized on March 25, will bring together representatives of EU, Qatar, and EFTA Countries : Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Lichtenstein at InterParliamentary level, with input from different sources, and "could be the basis for Future EU policies", she added.

- "Security of Supply will play an important role in the Future of European Energy policy, and, therefore, we must study the impact of the Financial Crisis on the Energy market", said Rübig.

According to various News sources, the currently falling price of oil/gas, in parallel with the Financial Crisis, push to drop or postpone the most expensive Energy Infrastructure projects which might be affected by various (political or economic) aleas. Thus, EU has to make choices and/or innovate.

We look upon working between Politicians responsible for Energy policy at National, European and International levels, by joining the forces of EU Parliament's Committees on Energy and EEA JPC, which brings together EU and EFTA Countries :  

Norway, which is on Oil/Gas business around the World, and has a good experience on Energy Distribution, could help have a better European policy. Iceland, who was recently pushed to a kind of  bankruptcy, and destroyed by a Financial industry, might have interesting observations to make on how to improve things at EU level. Switzerland, which is always going in a very clear and sustainable way, is important for Banks, as well as Lichtenstein and even Norway, which grew large Funds out of the Energy business. "Qatar is next to Iran, and it's important for Energy supply, where also Norway is an important player", observed Rübig, adding that he invited also OPEC's President, big International Companies, etc. to have a Dialogue on what might be the Future and what EU can do.

It's important to have a Debate, to see what changed in the Energy Market and to examine Future Investment, in order to find out the right Strategies :  F.ex. last year the price of oil barril was 150 $. But we don't know why it was brought down to 40 $, and what it means for the future : If it continues decreasing, we have to change Strategies.

Replying to "EuroFora"'s questions, Rubig stressed the need "to seek the right Strategies and how to get Europe forward in the next 5 Years (2009-2014). "We want to create a win-win situation and show New Opportunities". There is a dramatic Change in the USA, also at the Political level. Now we are in front of EU Elections, so, there will be a change in EU Parliament. There will be a change also at EU Commission's' level. We try now to bring some New Questions in the debate, and this meeting will be also the basis for the questioning of the New or existing Commissioners which will be presented after EU Elections, and a chance to prepare the Right Questions.

Of course, within the EU, we try to look when there will be New stocks, how are the existing Natural stocks, how to distribute it over the next 50 years. How is the Research, what should be done immediately or in the future, and a lot of Technologies that we desire, like on Renewable Energies : It's a wide area where we have to focus our Agenda, and the 7th EU Framework program on Research has to play a major part.

But, even if we get 20% from Renewables, there will be still 80% of Fossile Energies. So we should have in the Research a special focus on Energy Efficiency, on the Fossiles' Technologies. We have to look at an Intelligent Energy program, to see what we can do with the Fossile energies around the World, how to process them in the right way, to think also on the Logistics :

Because Decisions on Pipelines, Ships, Local Demand, Storage, etc. are very Costly, Expensive, and the overall Investment is way behind the framework of what we could at a European level.

Debate should focus on what does it means for the International Banking system, because now there is a problem for all big projects in getting refunded, while big International Banks are suffering from the Crisis. So, what does it mean for infrastructure projects, for building up all the machinery, all the necessary equipment to deliver on the spot, what will be the appropriate Pipeline, how are the machines, etc. for which there is a lot of financing to do behind ?

The question is : - "Is the Banking system ready and able to do the job, and what do we have to do at the WB or in the IMF to get the right structure in future, so that we can build some huge infrastructure projects, if the market demand will be quite big to survive ?"

"Because the combination between reduced activities from the Financial side, with the big International Banks, and from the other side the reduced prices for fossile Energy, opens a Debate on what should we do in this area, in front of the New balance between Energy and Banks", he concluded.

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Qatar competes with Lichtenstein as the 1st Country in the World in GDP per capita, closely followed by other key participants to Strasbourg's Forum, as Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and Ireland, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, Austria, and until recently Iceland, (respectively 1st or 3rd, 2nd or 4rth,  5th or 7th, 4rth or 6th both, from 7th to 13th, 11th or 14th, and 3rd or 8th), according to IMF, WB or CIA estimations, out of 187 countries worldwide.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, was present at Paris' EU Summit for the creation of the Union for the Mediterranean, July 2007, after contributing to Peace in Lebanon, and has already addressed EU Parliament in Strasbourg in 2006 on the Middle East Peace process and other issues.

His wife, HH. Sheikha Mozah, is actively involved in Education and UN projects, incl. "Alliance of Civilisations". Qatar, with no other "mountains" than the original style sky-rocketing high Skyscrapers it builds itself, and is also known as headquarters to TV Al Jazeera TV Media. With immense Gas deposits and links to Global Finance, it currently builds infrastructures with New Technology Liquified Gas transportable by Sea and River Ships.