Conference - Energy: a future for Europe
The much-discussed energy transition will only be possible if Europe can strike a balance between three vital yet seemingly competing goals: ensuring a reliable energy supply; keeping costs manageable for households and businesses; and meeting climate targets. Can it deliver?
To help address these challenges, the Foundation is organising the conference «Energy: a future for Europe», based on six policy papers produced through a partnership with the Brookings Institution, one of the world’s largest and most respected think tanks.
On 29 April, at the Vandelli Botanical Garden in Lisbon, experts from a range of fields will come together to reflect on and debate the present and future of energy in Portugal and the European Union.
The event will be held in English, with simultaneous interpretation into Portuguese.
Admission is free, subject to prior registration.
Energy is crucial to human well-being and shapes key aspects of everyday life, from the cost of living to the quality of our environment.
The much-heralded energy transition will only be possible if Europe can strike a balance between three vital, and seemingly competing, goals: ensuring a reliable energy supply; keeping costs manageable for households and businesses; and meeting climate targets.
To help meet this challenge, the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos has partnered with the Brookings Institution, one of the world’s largest and most respected think tanks. This collaboration has resulted in a set of six innovative policy papers exploring different dimensions of the energy transition.
The conference «Energy: a future for Europe» brings this debate to a wider audience, uniting experts from various fields and countries for an open and forward-looking dialogue on the energy challenges facing Portugal and the European Union.
It will take place on 29 April at the Vandelli Botanical Garden in Lisbon and will be conducted entirely in English, with simultaneous interpretation available in Portuguese. The event is free and open to everyone, subject to prior registration at ffms.pt.
This conference also marks the launch of the «Portugal Europeu» project, a programme of initiatives running throughout 2026 to mark the 40th anniversary of Portugal’s accession to the then European Economic Community (EEC).
Vandelli Botanical Garden, Lisbon
Fátima Barros, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos
Constanze Stelzenmüller, Director of the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings Institution and project coordinator
Samantha Gross, Director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at Brookings Institution and project coordinator
Ana Fontoura Gouveia, Head of Sustainability at Banco de Portugal and coauthor of a policy paper
Gonzalo Escribano, Senior fellow at Real Instituto Elcano and coauthor of a policy paper
João Abel Peças Lopes, Director of INESC TEC and professor emeritus at Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
Moderated by Samantha Gross
Constanze Stelzenmüller, Director of the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings Institution and project coordinator
Isabel Grilo, Director at the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission (ECFIN)
Moderated by Ricardo Costa, journalist
Ed Conway, journalist and author of the book Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization
Interviewed by Ricardo Costa, journalist