Country reports
The philosophy behind this series was to help participants understand the
challenges surrounding energy resilience within an international context in two
distinct ways. The first concerned the idea of energy independence or, at least,
diversification. The topic was particularly timely given how much emphasis
was placed on the issue during the 2012 US Presidential election by both
candidates, and because of recent unrest across parts of North Africa and the
Levant. The second issue concerned the growing threat from terrorism, cyberattacks
including both espionage and sabotage. It was felt this was particularly
relevant given the ever-increasing interconnectedness of regional and national
energy grids in the European Union.