Europe is facing a new challenge in energy security, as the war in Iran and the Russian invasion of Ukraine exacerbate pressures on energy markets, increase costs for households and businesses and bring back into focus the need to accelerate the transition to clean and secure energy sources.
In April, the Commission announced a plan aimed at "preventing the worst from the ongoing energy crisis", which is linked to both the war in Iran and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the European Commission, the programme aims to provide "immediate relief to European households and industries" affected by rising energy prices and fuel shortages, while also aspiring to put Europe on a firm path towards energy independence.
The Commission underlined that the current global energy crisis "reminds us that Europe needs to accelerate its transition to clean, secure and affordable energy", both for economic and security reasons.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in the AccelerateEU press release that the European continent "must accelerate the transition to domestic, clean forms of energy". As he mentioned, this direction will provide Europe with energy independence and security, making it better prepared to withstand geopolitical turbulence.
In the same context, the European Union Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jorgensen, said that "Europe is facing another crisis in the fossil fuel sector". Through AccelerateEU, he said, the EU supports member states in providing immediate assistance to those facing the greatest difficulties, while at the same time strengthening efforts for a clean energy transition and electrification.
According to him, this is the only sustainable way to ensure a stable, secure, clean and affordable energy supply for all Europeans.
Warnings in recent weeks from the European Commission and the EU concern prolonged disruptions in energy supply, which may lead to restrictions on fuel consumption, due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Since the start of the war in Iran on February 28, Europe has faced a sharp increase in oil and gas prices.
European companies have warned of fuel shortages, while some airlines in Europe have cancelled thousands of flights. Under these circumstances, the Commission and the EU are examining ways to deal with the new energy crisis.
The current situation is not the first energy emergency facing Europe in the last decade. Following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU announced that it would stop buying Russian oil and gas, seeking to limit revenues that could boost the Russian economy.
This decision led to an increase in energy costs in Europe, as the EU reduced its dependence on one of its main suppliers. The bloc turned to diversifying the energy market, with oil, gas and liquefied natural gas purchases from countries such as Norway, the United States and Algeria, while also investing in wind, solar and other alternative energy sources.
These moves helped alleviate the energy crisis. In December 2025, the EU announced plans to phase out Russian LNG purchases by the end of 2026, in a bid to further reduce European dependence on Russian gas.
However, the war in Iran has created new pressure. In April, the Commission said the EU "spent an additional €24 billion. in energy imports due to higher prices" caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, without having bought more energy.
Alesia Virone, director of European affairs at the Clean Air Task Force, pointed out that the war in Iran shows that Europe remains exposed to global fluctuations in fossil fuel prices, even when disruptions occur outside European territory.
As he mentioned, oil and liquefied natural gas are commodities that are traded worldwide, which means that geopolitical instability is quickly transferred to the prices of electricity, heating, transport and industry in Europe. He added that over-reliance on a single partner, a single fuel or technology creates systemic vulnerabilities in times of geopolitical crisis.
The EU's energy policy has provoked a backlash from elected officials of member states, who are calling for new measures. In March, then-Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán argued that the EU should ease energy restrictions and sanctions against the Russian Federation, believing that such a move could help alleviate the crisis.
Similarly, in April, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Ficso called on the EU to end sanctions against Russian energy, aimed at addressing the current energy pressure in Europe.
Tamara Lagurashvili, director for Central and Eastern Europe at the Clean Air Task Force, noted that countries in the region have limited fiscal space and have a long-term over-dependence on fossil fuel imports. This, he said, makes them more vulnerable to the volatility of global energy markets.
Despite the positions of Orbán and Fico, the EU chose to maintain sanctions against Russia. Last month's political developments in Europe further reinforced this attitude. On April 12, Hungary held parliamentary elections, with Peter Mayar, who succeeded Orbán as prime minister, as the winner.
Mayar has said he will seek to strengthen Hungary's relations with the EU and limit Russian influence in the country. As a result, Fizo appears more isolated within the Union, while developments show that the EU does not intend to change its attitude towards the Russian energy market. On April 23, the European bloc announced new sanctions against the Russian Federation.
Dr. Benjamin L. Schmidt, a researcher at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House, said EU officials would use the new political climate to push for additional sanctions against Russian energy resources, including measures against Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers.
He added that the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz means that the EU should combine its actions against Russia with the search for alternative energy sources.
According to Schmidt, the European Union should not only continue its diplomatic action to find and secure alternative oil and gas resources to make up for the lost import volumes due to Iran's closure of Hormuz. Perhaps, as he estimated, it will eventually need to show military power, with the aim of ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait.
As he said, even if Europe insists that the war with Iran is not its own war, its effects must be limited for reasons of stability of Europe itself. This, in his view, may necessitate military operations, however undesirable they may be in certain European political circles, in order to support the actions of the United States and the Gulf States to keep the Strait open.
As the European Commission prepares to implement changes to the energy sector through AccelerateEU, European policymakers, environmental organisations and businesses are waiting to see whether the plan can effectively tackle the current crisis.
Europe's further transition to alternative energy sources will take time, as it requires the development of technology and infrastructure to produce and maintain these sources. For Europeans affected by rising energy prices due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, AccelerateEU can be a welcome option to offset future energy costs. However, it can also be seen as a long-term solution that is not sufficient to address the crisis immediately.
Forbes
