Andreas Goldthau on consequences of an energy supply crisis + State of negotiations on the AI regulation

European politicians are currently traveling around the world to mediate in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron is visiting Vladimir Putin in Moscow today, Annalena Baerbock is traveling to Kiev, and Olaf Scholz is flying to Washington for his inaugural visit to Joe Biden.

There are increasingly loud calls from the USA for Nord Stream 2 not to go into operation to put Russia under pressure. Meanwhile, Olaf Scholz hinted that a halt to the gas pipeline could not be ruled out in the event of an escalation of the conflict.

In any case, Europe is keen to reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas. This is the second reason for numerous trips abroad by European politicians these days. Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson and EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Josep Borrell are also in Washington today. They will join Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm at the EU-US Energy Council to intensify talks on future cooperation on energy security and the joint commitment to accelerate the energy transition toward climate neutrality.

Just this Friday, Simson visited Baku to promote higher gas exports from Azerbaijan to Europe. Read more about Simson’s visit in the News.

However, new energy supply contracts between Europe and other countries could also bring new problems. If the EU secures LNG from China, emerging countries in Southeast Asia could find themselves in energy trouble instead, explains Andreas Goldthau in an interview with Charlotte Wirth. Poorer countries would not be able to keep up with the prices Europe could pay. The problem would shift to others, according to the energy expert.

The EU Parliament is currently negotiating the regulation of artificial intelligence. The Council is already much further along. Both the Slovenian and French presidencies have already put forward their own proposals. Jasmin Kohl points out the lines of conflict between the member states and in the Parliament. There is disagreement above all on which systems should be classified as high-risk AI systems.

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Lukas Scheid