The Iran war has exposed Europe’s fossil-fuel vulnerability

World euiranTop News The Iran war has exposed Europe’s fossil-fuel vulnerability Hormuz 2 1024x575 Relevant News The Iran war has exposed Europe’s fossil-fuel vulnerability 27 August 2026 Crosta Nostra: Southern Italy on a plate 27 August 2026 Binge it or skip it: Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen – A match made in hell 27 August 2026 Theodosis Pipis 27 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Europe’s dependence on imported fossil fuels has left its economies highly exposed to the surge in energy prices caused by the war with Iran. According to a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), European countries have spent billions of euros more than expected on oil, gas and other fossil fuels following disruptions in the Middle East. According to Euronews among the countries most affected are several major EU economies. Between March and August 2026, the Netherlands faced an estimated €11.5 billion in additional fossil-fuel costs, while Italy paid around €12.7 billion more, France €10.8 billion and Spain €8.8 billion. Together, these four countries incurred close to €41 billion in unexpected costs, despite not receiving additional quantities of energy in return. Europe has increasingly relied on alternative suppliers to compensate for reduced energy flows from the Middle East. In the first quarter of 2026, the United States and Norway emerged as the EU’s largest suppliers of both Liquified natural gas (LNG) and petroleum oils. Nevertheless, the increase in diesel prices remains particularly damaging because European transport, agriculture and industry continue to depend heavily on the fuel. As a result, higher energy costs can spread throughout supply chains and contribute to broader increases in consumer prices. At the same time, the crisis has demonstrated the economic and strategic value of Europe’s investment in renewable energy. CREA estimates that clean-energy capacity installed in the EU since 2020 avoided around €36 billion in fossil-fuel purchases during the first five months of the crisis. By replacing energy that would otherwise have been produced using imported coal, oil or gas, renewable power has reduced the amount of fuel European countries have had to purchase at inflated wartime prices. The report therefore presents renewable energy and electrification not simply as tools for reducing carbon emissions, but also as mechanisms for strengthening energy security. Countries with larger shares of clean electricity and lower dependence on fossil fuels are generally less vulnerable to sudden fluctuations in international energy markets. Spain illustrates both the advantages and the limitations of this transition. Its renewable-energy infrastructure has helped save billions of euros in fossil-fuel imports, yet continued dependence on oil in transport, aviation and industry meant that the crisis still generated an additional gross fossil-fuel import cost equivalent to approximately €181 per person. CREA argues that this demonstrates the need to extend electrification beyond electricity generation and into other areas of the economy. Against this background, more than 100 European and international organisations have called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to establish a comprehensive strategy for ending Europe’s reliance on fossil fuels. In a letter ahead of her State of the Union address on 16 September, (an annual speech by the President of the European Commission to the European Parliament, setting the priorities for the Union for the year ahead) the organisations urged the Commission to commission an independent, science-based report outlining how Europe could make the current energy crisis its last major fossil-fuel crisis. The organisations, led by Climate Action Network Europe, argue that fossil-fuel dependence imposes a double economic burden on Europe: countries must absorb volatile energy prices while also paying for the growing consequences of climate change. They maintain that continued reliance on imported fossil fuels weakens European economic stability and limits the EU’s geopolitical independence by leaving it vulnerable to conflicts and decisions occurring outside its borders. The proposed strategy would resemble the Draghi report in scale and ambition, but would focus specifically on creating a pathway towards a complete fossil-fuel phase-out while protecting consumers, workers and European industry. Renewable energy, energy efficiency, electricity grids and clean-energy flexibility would form the basis of the transition. The organisations also argue that EU and national funding should be redirected away from projects that extend fossil-fuel dependence and towards clean-energy infrastructure. Finally, the proposal connects energy security with European industrial policy. It calls for stronger and more secure supply chains for the critical materials required by renewable-energy and clean-technology industries. In this sense, the Hormuz crisis is presented not only as an immediate energy-price shock, but also as evidence of a broader structural vulnerability: as long as Europe remains dependent on imported fossil fuels, geopolitical instability elsewhere can translate rapidly into higher costs for European governments, industries and consumers. Read more: Iran and Oman discuss temporary Hormuz corridor as impasse with US drags on Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Crosta Nostra: Southern Italy on a plate Binge it or skip it: Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen – A match made in hell Taverna Koutsonikolia: a fixture of Karpasia’s culinary tradition 40 degrees on Thursday before expected Saturday rain and storms Back After Summer – From Sunday Anxiety to Monday Peace Christodoulides and Erhürman agree to weekly meetings, UN says Back After Summer – From Sunday Anxiety to Monday Peace Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.