Roundtable on Energy Security in SE Europe

Announcement

Roundtable on Energy Security in SEE, European Parliament

Brussels, March 19, 2026

As energy security is gaining prominence and is driving policies which ensure the uninterrupted energy supply in Europe, and Southeast Europe (SEE) in particular, the IENE on March 19, is organizing a Roundtable in the European Parliament building in Brussels under the auspices of independent MEP Nikolas Farantouris, Jean Monnet Professor of Energy Law.

More specifically, as of late, energy security in SEE has become a strategic concern as the region faces a combination of geopolitical tensions, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and market uncertainties. While SEE has made progress over the last decade in diversifying energy supplies and strengthening domestic production capabilities, it remains highly dependent on imported fossil fuels, with nearly 53% of the region’s energy needs met through external sources, while some countries’ dependence exceeds 80%. This dependence makes the region particularly sensitive to global shocks, supply disruptions, and geopolitical turmoil.

Energy security in SEE is no longer simply a matter of maintaining supply but is rapidly evolving into a complex strategic challenge that encompasses infrastructure, geopolitics, markets, and resilience planning. The increasing number of attacks on tankers, pipelines, LNG terminals, and power grids, combined with broader geopolitical tensions in the Black Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East, underscore the vulnerability of energy supply chains. At the same time, significant investment and EU-led initiatives offer pathways to reduce risk, diversify sources, and strengthen the region’s role in European energy security.

Thus, as the geopolitical turmoil in the vicinity of the region continues unabated, IENE strongly believes that the time is ripe for a fresh discussion of the challenges faced across SEE. The “IENE – European Parliament Roundtable on Energy Security in South East Europe” overall aim is to broaden the discussion and explore to what extent current EU policies may be affected in view of concerns over energy security and infrastructure resilience.

The Roundtable will take place at the European Parliament in Brussels (Room 7C050, Paul-Henri Spaak (PHS) Building) on Thursday, March 19, 2026, under the auspices of Prof. Nikolas Farantouris, Member of the European Parliament. Some 40 company executives and energy experts will gather in order to discuss the burning issues related to energy security.

This event is being organised as part of IENE’s Energy Security Programme of IENE (link) and in the wake of the publication of its flagship report, the “SEE Energy Outlook 2025/2026” (link), where attention is drawn to energy security issues. Furthermore, the Institute recently published a Research Paper on Energy Security (link) in which these issues are analysed in detail. In addition, the issues to be discussed during the Roundtable are presented in a separate note which follows.

These are six axes around which discussions at the Roundtable on Energy Security in South East Europe will revolve:

  1. Energy demand and supply considerations
  2. Protection of energy infrastructure (oil, gas, electricity)
  3. Identification of contentious issues in SEE with direct relevance to energy security
  4. Cyber security and protection from cyber attacks
  5. Impact of the overall security environment in the energy sector
  6. Crisis response, emergency preparedness & regional security coordination mechanisms

Overall, this IENE event, to be hosted in the centre of EU institutions, is highly topical given that the coming years will test the ability of SEE countries to navigate this multilayered risk environment and ensure uninterrupted, affordable, and secure energy for their populations while contributing to the wider European energy system.

This special event is conducted at company executive and experts’ level, while there will be limited places for online attendance.

 

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IENE e-shop policy

1. iene.eu

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The visitor/user of iene.eu uses the site at his/hers full responsibility. IENE is not liable for the malicious intervention of a third party.

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In the case of an incomplete Purchase, IENE is obligated to discharge the amount of his/hers purchase from the credit card.

IENE has contracted with Alpha bank Online payment provider in order to carry through credit card transactions at www.iene.eu.

In the case where credit card charges and reservation of amounts are not carried through, responsible are either the Online Payment Service or the Internet Service Provider and not IENE Here are some cases, indicative and not inclusive, for which IENE is not responsible:

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The above cases are indicative but are not a complete list of the cases where IENE is not to be held liable. In these cases IENE does not receive any payment from the visitor/user.

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IENE does not have access to the credit card information of the visitor/user because payment is executed by redirecting him/her to Alpha Bank’s website which is specifically formed and encrypted for this purpose. IENE keeps only the contact information, such as the Name, Surname, email address and telephone number of the visitor/user. The visitor/user has to provide the following personal data in order to fill the “Complete your order” form: name, surname, delivery address, email address, telephone number. These data are protected by the order code which the visitor/user receives at his/hers email address, after pressing the button “Register” and completing the payment through Alpha Bank’s electronic payment platform.

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5. Applicable Law

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6. Communication

For any information pertaining to the service of www.iene.eu the visitor/users can call the customer service numbers at 0030 210 3628457.

Alternatively, he/she can send an email to the following email address: [email protected]

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