EU Energy Chief Says Renewables and Efficiency Key to Crisis Response

The European Union has faced its most severe energy-supply disruption in decades after months of conflict in the Middle East, prompting officials to accelerate diversification and efficiency measures. European Commissioner for energy and housing Dan Jorgensen said the bloc is handling the shock more effectively than during the 2022 crisis.

"I think there's a consensus that we are much better at dealing with a crisis like this than we were in 2022," he stated.

Jorgensen compared continued fossil-fuel subsidies to treating diabetes with sugar, arguing such steps only postpone structural change. He acknowledged that some member states had taken short-term measures but said all governments must now converge on faster deployment of renewables and efficiency upgrades.

Even if a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran leads to lasting peace, Jorgensen cautioned that rebuilding damaged oil infrastructure will take months and gas infrastructure will require years. "We very much hope that this will lead to a lasting peace," he said.

"It will take months to rebuild what's been destroyed in the infrastructure giving us oil. " The commissioner noted that the EU's existing climate framework, including the Green Deal and a 2040 target of 90 percent emissions reductions, already sets binding timelines for phasing out coal, oil and gas.

Last year the bloc added almost 90 gigawatts of new renewable capacity, enough to power 90 million homes, while electric-vehicle sales continued to rise. Officials plan to release a new electrification strategy in the coming months.