The world is changing fast. Events in Ukraine, Venezuela, Iran, and China show clearly that many of today’s global challenges are closely linked to access to affordable and clean energy.
Energy security is no longer just about keeping the lights on. It is shaped by a wide range of political, social, economic, environmental, technological, and trade-related factors, with geopolitics cutting across all of them. This broader and more dynamic understanding of energy security raises new questions about vulnerabilities, interdependence, and the policies needed to manage today’s risks.
These challenges have become especially visible over the past three years, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the deliberate use of energy as a political weapon. In response, the European Union introduced a set of unprecedented emergency measures: diversifying gas supplies, speeding up infrastructure investments, and protecting households and businesses from sharply rising energy prices. While these actions involved significant fiscal and social costs, they also strengthened climate and energy transition goals by accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
This workshop aims to explore how the concept of energy security is changing in today’s world and what this means for the European Union. Together, we will discuss key questions: How should energy security be understood today? How can EU member states cooperate more effectively? And what policies are needed to lower energy prices while at the same time strengthening the security of energy supply?
Chair
- Joanna Pandera, Adjunct Professor, Florence School of Transnational Governance
Speaker
- Andrei Covatariu, Policy Leader Fellow, Florence School of Transnational Governance
Discussant
- Alberto Pototschnig, Adjunct Professor, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
Session as part of the EUI Climate Workshop, a forum that brings together members of the EUI community from all departments working on climate-related issues from across the institution. Find out more about the workshop and the upcoming sessions here.