Energy security strategy of the European Union

Energy security strategy of the European Union

1) Historical background of energy policy; 2) The EU’s energy policies and priorities; 3) Energy Security Strategy and energy dependence; 4) EU dependence on foreign energy imports and Russia in the European energy sector; 5) Europe's energy future.

The European Union's energy policies are driven by three main objectives - EU wants secure energy supplies to ensure the reliable provision of energy whenever and wherever needed; - EU wants to ensure that energy providers operate in a competitive environment that ensures affordable prices for homes, businesses, and industries; - EU wants our energy consumption to be sustainable, through the lowering of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and fossil fuel dependence;

These goals will help the EU to tackle its most significant energy challenges. Among these, its dependence on energy imports is a particularly pressing issue with the EU currently importing over half its energy at a cost of € 350 billion per year. Other important challenges include rising global demand the scarcity of fuels like crude oil, which contribute to higher prices. In addition, the continued use of fossil fuels in Europe contributes to global warming and pollution.

Energy Security Strategy The EU imports more than half of all the energy it consumes. Its import dependency is particularly high for crude oil (more than 90%) and natural gas (66%). The total import bill is more than € 1 billion per day. Many countries are also heavily reliant on a single supplier, including some that rely entirely on Russia for their natural gas. This dependence leaves them vulnerable to supply disruptions, whether caused by political or commercial disputes, or infrastructure failure. For instance, a 2009 gas dispute between Russia and transit-country Ukraine, left many EU countries with severe shortages. In response to these concerns, the European Commission released its Energy Security Strategy in May 2014. The Strategy aims to ensure a stable and abundant supply of energy for European citizens and the economy.

The 2020 Energy Strategy defines the EU's energy priorities between 2010 and 2020. It aims to: - reduce greenhouse gases by at least 20%; - increase the share of renewable energy in the EU's energy mix to at least 20% of consumption; - improve energy efficiency by at least 20%; Through the attainment of these targets, the EU can help combat climate change and air pollution, decrease its dependence on foreign fossil fuels, and keep energy affordable for consumers and businesses.

The 2030 Energy Strategy EU countries have agreed to the following objectives to be met by 2030: - a binding EU target of at least a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990; - a binding target of at least 27% of renewable energy in the EU; - an energy efficiency increase of at least 27%, to be reviewed by 2020 potentially raising the target to 30%, by 2030; - the completion of the internal energy market by reaching an electricity interconnection target of 15% between EU countries by 2030, and pushing forward important infrastructure projects.

The 2050 Energy Strategy The European Commission's 2011 Energy Roadmap set out four main routes to a more sustainable, competitive and secure energy system in 2050: energy efficiency, renewable energy, nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage. It combined these routes in different ways to create and analyse seven possible scenarios for 2050.

According to the European Commission, the share of Russian natural gas in the member states' domestic gas consumption in 2007 was the following Estonia 100%; Finland 100%; Latvia 100%; Lithuania 100% Slovakia 98%; Bulgaria 92%; Czech Republic 77. 6%; Greece 76%; Hungary 60%; Slovenia 52%; Austria 49%; Poland 48. 15%; Croatia 37%; Germany 36%.

Italy 27%; Romania 27%; France 14%; Belgium 5%; Republic of Macedonia 100%; Belarus 98%; Montenegro 87%; Serbia 87%; Ukraine 66%; Turkey 64%; Switzerland 12%;

The impact of 2009 Russia - Ukraine gas dispute on EU members The 2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute was a pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine that occurred when Russian natural gas company Gazprom refused to conclude a supply contract for 2009 unless Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz paid its accumulating debts for previous gas supplies. On January 2, a day after Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, Hungary, Romania and Poland were the first countries to report that pressure in their pipelines had fallen. Bulgaria reported that their supply was also falling and that transit to Turkey, Greece and Macedonia was affected. Two days later the Czech Republic and Turkey reported drops in pipeline pressure. Starting on January 7, several countries began to report a significant drop in gas supplies from Russia. Throughout the crisis many countries were unprepared and had been left without supplies for days, leading to significant economic and humanitarian consequences; Bulgaria was forced to stop production in some of its important industrial plants, while one country, Slovakia, declared a state of emergency

Severely affected countries