European Energy Forum

‘European Energy Forum’ (EEF)

Contents 1 Background 2 The "Submarine" of the Energy Industry 3 Personnel 4 Members 5 Funding 6 References

Background

The European Energy Forum calls itself "a place of information, documentation, analysis and open debate where members' and participants' opinions are freely and frankly expressed". It says it "supports neither political nor economic interests. It takes no decision". ^[1]

Despite this, EEF’s work is mainly at the invitation of business. Apart from dinners, conferences and seminars, EEF often organises trips for interested MEPs to visit nuclear power plants. These are paid for by the nuclear companies. ^[2]

The "Submarine" of the Energy Industry

Amsterdam corporate watch-dog, Corporate Europe Observatory, descibes how a "confidential source who regularly attends their meetings confirmed that discussions which start at the EEF usually end up at the Parliament. The source calls the EEF as “the submarine of the energy industry.”

Personnel

• Jean-Claude Charrault - EEF’s Director General, was the former Head of the Commission’s nuclear policy division.
• Giles Chichester MEP - Chairman EEF and Chairman Industry, Research and Energy Committee at the European Parliament. Chichester has always supported nuclear expansion. ^[3]
• Rolf Linkohr, President 1998-2004, then Honorary President

Members

Business members of EEF include Shell, Total, ExxonMobil, British Energy, EDF and Areva.

Funding

Most of the EEF’s funding come from business. When asked by CEO about their funding "the Secretariat refused to answer but according to an informed source their annual budget is over a million euros". ^[4]

References

1. ^ European Energy Forum Website
2. ^ Corporate Europe Observatory, Nuclear Power Grab? Corporate Lobbyists and MEPs Working in Tandem to Spin Nuclear Energy as Sustainable, December, 2006
3. ^ Corporate Europe Observatory, Nuclear Power Grab? Corporate Lobbyists and MEPs Working in Tandem to Spin Nuclear Energy as Sustainable, December, 2006
4. ^ Corporate Europe Observatory, Nuclear Power Grab? Corporate Lobbyists and MEPs Working in Tandem to Spin Nuclear Energy as Sustainable, December, 2006