Europe and the New Geopolitics of Energy

The outset for this presentation is the historic Western World’s dependence on imported oil from the Middle East and on natural gas from Russia. As more diversified energy markets emerge, concerns over security-of-energy-supply are changing. The American shale oil and gas revolution makes the U.S. self-sufficient in fossil fuels and a net exporter of natural gas. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) make natural gas markets global and diversifies EU imports. Renewable energy, increased energy efficiency, environmental and climate concerns reduce EU dependence on fossil fuels. The new geopolitics of energy changes positions of and relations to oil and gas exporters, and new concerns emerge. Continued common and diverging US-EU positions, and their energy policy implications, will be put forward.