This presentation, delivered at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Furfari 2025), provides a critical examination of the European Union’s current energy policy, with a particular focus on decarbonisation and the rapid integration of renewable energy technologies. Drawing on decades of professional experience in energy policy and geopolitics within the European Commission, the analysis reveals a disparity between policy objectives and the global context of energy demand and supply. It contrasts with the EU’s declining competitiveness and the limited global impact on its emissions reduction efforts with the persistent dominance of fossil fuels, the technological revolution in natural gas, and the geopolitical shifts driven by the United States’ shale revolution. The conference calls for a pragmatic reassessment of the EU’s strategy, advocating a return to the foundational principles of cheap, abundant energy.
