In vs Out: an energy perspective

25 May 2016
On 23 June, Britain will go to the polls in a referendum on whether to stay in, or leave, the EU. At this panel discussion, experts and policy-makers will consider the implications of either scenario for the UK's energy system.

On 23 June, Britain will go to the polls in a referendum on whether to stay in, or leave, the EU. What are the implications of either scenario for the UK's energy system?

At a time when the European Commission is developing proposals for an Energy Union, has the EU got the balance right on the energy trilemma in the first place? And what might the threats be to that balance of a vote either way? Even if the UK votes to remain, what kind of Europe do we want?

As, irrespective of the outcome of the referendum, the UK will still need to have some relationship with the Energy Union and the wider energy system(s) of the European mainland and of Ireland, the panel will also discuss what this relationship might look like.

We co-host this panel discussion with the UK Energy Research Centre and the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, in partnership with EurActiv.

Speakers

• Ros Kellaway, Partner, Eversheds International
• Professor Paul Ekins (Director, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources and Deputy Director, UK Energy Research Centre)
• Dr Amelia Hadfield (Director of the Centre for European Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University)
• Dr Matthew Lockwood (Senior Research Fellow, Energy Policy Group in the School of Geography, University of Exeter)
• Jeremy Nicholson, Director, Energy Intensive Users Group
• Dustin Benton, Head of Energy and Resources, Green Alliance

Policy briefs

UKERC, UCL ISR and the UCL European Institute have commissioned two policy briefs on the topic.

The EU referendum: Implications for UK Energy Policy
May 2016
Professor Paul Ekins (Director, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources and Deputy Director, UKERC)
Joseph Dutton (Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter and UKERC)
Professor Jim Watson (Director, UKERC)

Brexit and Energy: Cost, Security and Climate Policy Implications
EINote - May 2016
Professor Michael Grubb (Professor of International Energy and Climate Change Policy, UCL Institute of Sustainable Resources)
Stephen Tindale (Director, Alvin Weinberg Foundation)

About the Series

The electorate in Britain has become highly critical of the way the European Union operates. Since David Cameron called a referendum on the UK's continued membership of the EU following his renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the Union, public opinion - and thus campaigning - has hinged centrally on how the Union is judged to perform in certain policy areas.

Yet what are the concrete facts underlying our often highly politicized perception of key policy areas? And what could a reform of these entail in real terms? Since autumn 2014, the UCL European Institute has hosted a series of policy panels with experts from academia, politics, law, and the media to explore these questions.

It is also producing a set of accompanying resources and a blog - in order to inform public debate on the future relationship between Britain and Europe.

In cooperation with:

In partnership with:

Co-funded by: