European Union Energy Policy at a Time of Crisis – book chapter by John Szabó in EU Encyclopedia

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Essays on the European Union

European Union Energy Policy at a Time of Crisis

John Szabó

The imminent supply crisis under the European Union’s (EU) energy crisis might have come to an end, but then again, it all depends how one defines a crisis. The Russian Federation’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 exacerbated a number of energy-related crises that the EU was already tackling, including the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the intensifying negative effects of climate change.

The responses of politicians, policymakers and market participants to the war reflected normative commitments and ambitions to reduce market risks: support Ukraine by limiting the Russian Government’s fossil fuel revenues, while eliminating the bloc’s dependence on imports of Russian fossil fuels. Leaders have largely accomplished this task within the span of two years or so, but this does not put an end to the EU’s energy
woes, limiting its ability to abandon a ‘crisis mode’ altogether.

This essay surveys the EU’s energy policy responses since the outbreak of the war in early 2022, providing a bird’s eye view of changes during this tumultuous period.