A new cooperation agenda for European Energy Security

Europe’s approach to energy security has been historically split between the East and West. Given the rapidly evolving geopolitical energy security landscape on the continent, this article argues that a comprehensive and shared approach to energy security — which incorporates hard security considerations — is needed.

Veronika Slakaityte, Izabela Surwillo & Trine Villumsen Berling

Although energy technology is often thought of as politically neutral, historical, and more recent episodes of energy blackmail, sabotage and cyber-attacks have raised questions regarding hard security risks — typically associated with physical threats, such as military aggression — to Europe’s critical energy infrastructure. Europe aims to lock itself out of former dependencies through revision of its policy towards Russia, closer cooperation with neighbouring countries, increased interconnectedness, higher self-sufficiency, and the establishment of a coordinated approach to security. Multilayered security threats will, however, continue to linger; perhaps increasingly so.

This Comment focuses on the integrated pan-European energy market, known as the Energy Community (henceforth referred to as ‘the Community’). Although historically Europe has been split in its approach, we argue that both old and new energy infrastructure projects pose distinct security threats that require a coordinated policy approach based on a shared understanding of energy security. This is crucial for the Community’s progress towards a more secure and sustainable future.