Green peace: How Europe’s climate policy can survive the war in Ukraine
Source: https://ecfr.eu/publication/green-peace-how-europes-climate-policy-can-survive-the-war-in-ukraine/
Author: Susi Dennison
The European Union’s climate agenda hangs in the balance. In this policy area, as in many others, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 changed everything for Europeans. There is now a risk that the EU’s transition away from dependence on Russian energy will continue to eclipse its transition to clean energy sources. The bloc’s leaders face three main challenges in this: rapidly reducing energy dependence on Russia, which would allow member states to embargo imports of Russian oil and, possibly, gas; building new partnerships with third countries to protect European energy security in the long term; and implementing the Fit for 55 package to bring the European Green Deal to life. Their efforts in all three areas have contributed to a spike in energy prices in Europe. And they require significant investment in infrastructure, welfare support for struggling households and businesses, and political and diplomatic capital.