Energy dependence: Europe faces the return of actuality – Info eco | EUROtoday

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With the surge in costs linked to tensions within the Middle East, Europe’s vitality dependence is coming again to the guts of the talk. The European Union imports virtually 60% of the vitality it consumes. A selection assumed for years, however which immediately exposes European economies to geopolitical shocks.

Is Europe paying the value for its vitality selections immediately? The query comes again with drive as tensions within the Middle East ship oil and fuel costs hovering. The European Union relies upon virtually 60% on imports for its vitality, a fair increased proportion for fuels.

For a very long time, Europe produced a part of its hydrocarbons

In the 2000s, the North Sea equipped as much as 7 million barrels per day. The Netherlands exploited the big Groningen fuel discipline. Even France and Italy have assets which might be immediately largely unexploited, or not exploited in any respect.

But in fifteen years, European manufacturing has been halved. The trigger: excessive prices, the progressive exhaustion of deposits… and above all political selections. Ban on shale fuel in France, gradual cessation of hydrocarbons, closure of Groningen in 2024: Europe has turned the web page on home fossil fuels.

Coherent selections within the face of the local weather emergency, however which immediately make the continent notably susceptible to worldwide crises. Result: with every geopolitical shock, costs soar… and the invoice goes on to shoppers.

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