European parliamentarians write to President Biden

Dear Mr. President,

The NATO Alliance is the most successful political alliance in history, ensuring that freedom, prosperity and security endures in all of our nations. Those hard-won gains are under threat now from a variety of actors, including aggressive dictatorships, rogue states, and regional and international terrorist groups.

The free world must stand together, to ensure our continued security and resilience against these external threats. In today’s geopolitical environment, that security and resilience extends far beyond military strength. It includes mastering new technologies, protecting financial institutions, and ensuring security of future energy supplies.

The Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine has tested all of these elements, and more. It is a source of great pride for us all that Europe and the United States have stood firm together in the face of this new geopolitical instability.

Fundamental to this successful resilience, was the ability of European nations to dramatically reduce reliance on Russian sources of energy, following the invasion. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) exports from the United States were essential to this process: supply has increased by over 140% since 2021, and in 2023 alone 60 per cent of all US LNG exports were bound for European markets (European Union and the United Kingdom). The transition of European nations away from Russian gas to a dependable and secure supply of U.S. LNG represents one of the greatest advances for Western energy security in modern times.

This is not a one-way street. U.S. businesses and workers have benefited greatly from the increased revenues and investments and will continue to do so as long-term contracts and infrastructure are now being put into place, to lock in the benefits of this mutually beneficial energy cooperation for decades to come.

It is therefore a source of great regret and concern that your Administration has recently announced a pause on permit approvals for LNG facilities. This decision could have significant negative impacts on European energy security in the coming years and decades. The Western world cannot stay ahead of our adversaries simply by standing still and hoping that our cooperation today will suffice for the future. It will not. We must plan ahead, expand our cooperation in energy and other fields, and prepare ourselves for the challenges of the future.

Current and future shipments of LNG to the EU and the UK – including new LNG facilities to meet future demand – are now an essential element for meeting the security challenges faced by the Western alliance. The decision not to allow permits to proceed undermines America’s allies,

and the Western order more broadly, and will give succour to our adversaries and those who wish to divide us. We urge you to reconsider.

Sincerely,

Andrea di Giuseppe MP (Italy)

Chair, International Trade Committee, Italian Chamber of Deputies

Simone Billi MP (Italy)

Member of Foreign Affairs Committee

Naike Gruppioni MP (Italy)

Vice President, Italia-USA Foundation

Alessandro Urzi MP (Italy)

Member of the Constitutional Affairs Committee

Massimiliano Panizzut MP (Italy)

Member of Social Affairs Committee

Andrea Orsini MP (Italy)

Vice-Chair, Defence & Security Committee, NATO Parliamentary Assembly

Joost Erdmans MP (Netherlands)

Leader of JA21 Party

Michiel Hoogeveen MEP (Netherlands)

Member, Delegation for Relations with USA

Virgil-Daniel Popescu MP (Romania)

Former Minister of Energy

Charlie Weimers MEP (Sweden)

Member of EU Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee

Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP (United Kingdom)

Former Leader, Conservative Party and Cabinet Minister

Craig Mackinlay MP (United Kingdom)

Chair, Net Zero Scrutiny Group

Jonathan Gullis MP (United Kingdom) Deputy Chair, Conservative Party and Member of Business & Trade Committee

Sir John Redwood MP (United Kingdom)

Former Cabinet Minister

David Jones MP (United Kingdom)

Former Cabinet Minister

Nigel Mills MP (United Kingdom) Member, International Development Committee

Karl McCartney MP (United Kingdom)

Member, Transport Committee

Greg Smith MP (United Kingdom)

Member, Transport Committee

Damien Moore MP (United Kingdom)

Member, Constitutional Affairs Committee

Adam Holloway MP (United Kingdom)

Member, European Scrutiny Committee

Andrew Lewer MP (United Kingdom)

Member, Education Committee

Jonathan Lord MP (United Kingdom) Former Board Member, Transport Committee for London

Marco Longhi MP (United Kingdom)

Member, Home Affairs Committee

Lee Anderson MP (United Kingdom)

Member, Home Affairs Committee

Sammy Wilson MP (United Kingdom) DUP Opposition Spokesperson on Treasury and Finance

Julian Knight MP (United Kingdom) Former Chair, Culture Media and Sport Committee

Dame Andrea Jenkyns MP (United Kingdom)

Former Minister for Education

Senator Michaela Biancofiore (Italy)

President, Civici d’Italia Political Group

Senator Annabel Nanninga (Netherlands)

Member of Committee on Petitions

Lord Frost of Allenton (United Kingdom)

Former Cabinet Minister

Lord Moylan (United Kingdom)

Former Advisor to Boris Johnson as Mayor of London

Baroness Foster of Oxton (United Kingdom) Former Member, EU Parliament Transport Committee

Baroness Lea of Lymm (United Kingdom) Former Economic Advisor to Arbuthnot Banking Group

Elisabetta Gardini (Italy)

PRESIDENT of the ITALIAN DELEGATION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Juan Diego Requena Ruiz (Spain) Spokesperson, Committee for Ecological Transition

CC:      Jennifer Granholm, United States Secretary of Energy Jeffrey Zients, White House Chief of Staff

John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation Amos Hochstein, Senior Advisor for Energy and Investment

Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor

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