About the initiative

The Atlantic Council’s Transform Europe Initiative is an exciting new body of work housed within the Council’s Europe Center working in close collaboration with the Global Energy Center. Based on the lessons of the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine, the Transform Europe Initiative aims to strengthen European security against petro-aggression and climate change. The initiative aids in the development of structural reforms and expedited but practical solutions that promote Europe’s decarbonization and defenses against climate change. 

To those ends, the initiative draws together policymakers, conventional security and geopolitical experts alongside renewable energy and decarbonization specialists from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss Europe’s structural vulnerabilities in energy security. The initiative works to build transatlantic consensus and strategic cooperation on decarbonization and renewable energy strategies between the United States, Britain, and the European Union.

The Europe Center promotes leadership, strategies, and analysis to ensure a strong, ambitious, and forward-looking transatlantic relationship.

The Global Energy Center promotes energy security by working alongside government, industry, civil society, and public stakeholders to devise pragmatic solutions to the geopolitical, sustainability, and economic challenges of the changing global energy landscape.

Experts

Content

New Atlanticist

Jul 9, 2024

Dispatch from Madrid: For Spain’s contributions to NATO, look beyond its defense spending

By Andrew Bernard

While Spain still falls short of its defense spending goals, Madrid nevertheless leads NATO missions, supports Ukraine, and helps guard Europe’s southern flank.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Atlantic Debrief

May 1, 2024

#AtlanticDebrief – What lessons can the EU take from the US Green New Deal? | A Debrief from Professor Mark Z. Jacobson

Carol Schaeffer sits down with Mark Z. Jacobson about what challenges policymakers need to consider in developing renewable energy infrastructure.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment
Model of natural gas pipeline and Russian flag, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Report

Jan 25, 2024

How Europe can escape its structural energy weakness amid great power competition

By Ben Judah, Tim Sahay, Shahin Vallée, and Francis Shin

This report argues that the EU will need to engage in deep structural and political reforms to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

Africa Climate Change & Climate Action

Report

Oct 16, 2023

How to strike a grand bargain on EU nuclear energy policy

By Ben Judah, Rachel Rizzo, Théophile Pouget-Abadie, Jonah Allen, Francis Shin

The EU currently faces an internal dispute over nuclear energy. To resolve this, the EU must commit to allowing each member to pursue its own energy mix, recognize nuclear energy as a crucial part of Europe’s existing energy mix, and adopting a technology-neutral approach to the implementation of the GDIP and NZIA.

Energy Markets & Governance European Union
Solar panels are pictured.

In-Depth Research & Reports

Sep 6, 2023

Policy memo: A NATO-style spending target could fund long-term decarbonization

By Ben Judah, Francis Shin, Rachel Rizzo, Théophile Pouget-Abadie

EU member states and like-minded allies should set national-level spending targets, each based on a percentage of their respective annual GDPs, for decarbonization-related purposes. This would provide the basis of an international coalition that would ramp up global climate spending and set a useful benchmark to anchor high-level diplomatic discussions on the subject.

Climate Change & Climate Action European Union

Event Recap

Aug 25, 2023

Workshop on the role of Central and Eastern Europe in European decarbonization 

By Transform Europe Initiative

The Atlantic Council co-hosted a high-level workshop on the role of Central and Eastern Europe in European decarbonization in Bratislava with GLOBSEC.

Central Europe Energy & Environment

Event Recap

Apr 18, 2023

Decarbonization solutions for addressing Europe’s green industrial policy challenge 

By Transform Europe Initiative

The Atlantic Council co-hosted a high-level workshop on “Decarbonization solutions for addressing Europe’s green industrial policy challenge” in Paris with the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and Groupe d’études geopolitiques (GEG).

Energy Markets & Governance European Union

Event Recap

Mar 20, 2023

PUBLIC EVENT STREAM: Decarbonization solutions for addressing Europe’s green industrial policy challenge

By Transform Europe Initiative

The Atlantic Council, the German Council on Foreign Relations, and Groupe d'études géopolitiques were honored to host "Decarbonization solutions for addressing Europe's green industrial policy challenge," a high-level workshop on decarbonization with Laurence Boone, Secretary of State for European Affairs at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, among others.

Energy Markets & Governance European Union

Event Recap

Mar 14, 2023

The energy and climate challenge: How Europe can achieve decarbonization

By Transform Europe Initiative

The Atlantic Council proudly co-hosted with the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) “A Grand Bargain for Europe’s energy and climate challenge,” a workshop on the European Union’s energy and climate policy from a geopolitical perspective.

Energy Markets & Governance European Union