Europe is deep in the natural gas trap

Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas has proved a strategic vulnerability this winter. As long as the EU has no alternative, the threats of sanctions with which it wants to dissuade Russia from attacking Ukraine are not very credible.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen promoted the European Green Deal as a way out of the energy trap at the Europe conference of Handelsblatt, Tagesspiegel and Zeit on Monday: The switch to wind and solar power is not only necessary in the fight against the climate change, but also “a piece of geopolitics”. However, the energy transition will only reduce dependency on Russia in the long term. Forecasts show that the demand for gas will not decrease until the 2030s. The EU is therefore negotiating with “reliable gas suppliers”, according to von der Leyen.