Energy Security

EU policy in the global race for critical raw materials

13 March 2023 Energy Security European Politics

5 min

Currently, the necessity  and commitment to switch to greener forms of energy production has never been more compelling. To that effect, the demand for the materials to build new products and systems that function on, or produce greener energy have substantially increased. As a consequence, these raw materials have now become as valuable and coveted as coal and iron deposits at the start of the Industrial Revolution. This article will attempt to cast some light on the EU position in this changing global market and the plans devised by the European Commission on this  matter.

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Can Nuclear Energy be considered green?

6 March 2023 Environment European Politics

10 min

The debate whether  nuclear energy can be considered a green energy has been ongoing for decades, and both sides – those who agree and those that don’t – seem to be entrenched in their positions. However, the topic of nuclear energy has re-surged once again. The reason for this is the current energy crisis taking place in the EU and the urgent need to find alternative energy sources and lower the European energy market’s dependency on Russian supplies.

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The future of Euro-African relationships between the Post-Cotonou agreement and the energy crisis

27 February 2023 European Politics

9 min

A new strategic partnership between the European Union and the African Union is set to be ratified, yet  European and African relationships still continue to be affected by economic and political whirlwinds at the international level. This underlines both a lack of deep commitment and a strategic short-sightedness from the European Union, paving the way for Chinese presence in Africa and hindering the stance of the EU in the world.

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The future of energy in Europe between COP27 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: an interview with Suzana Carp

20 February 2023 Energy Security European Politics

8 min

This year (2022) has represented an important upheaval in energy matters in Europe, in terms of energy (in)dependence, transition to renewables, supplies and prices, both due to the increasingly worrying climate crisis and following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The European Union (EU) has proved to be still too dependent on other countries, such as Russia, when it comes to energy supplies and still too reliant on gas rather than on renewable energy sources.

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Ukraine’s perspective in green energy substitution for the European market and European divestment from the Russian fossil fuels

9 February 2023 Energy Security European Politics

6 min

The Russian war in Ukraine has highlighted the European States’ dependency on Russian fossil fuel production. In fact, it led to the ongoing energy crisis which asserted its impact throughout the continent and extended even beyond. This current scenario has led to several discussions concerning the European energy market, and whether there is an existing solution to the substitution of the ramped-up fossil fuel production (to lower the prices) with green initiatives. On 17th November 2022, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyi reaffirmed that at the end of the Russo-Ukrainian war, Ukraine “is capable of becoming a key partner of the European Union for the purposes of decarbonization”. Thus, Ukraine has a lot of potential in the advancement of renewable energy, a solution that seems to be feasible and meets every involved actor’s needs.

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