The European Union in its present-day form is the result of various associations of individual states such as the ECSC and the EEC. These organisations were founded in the 1950s, in part to enable the production and trading of energy under common sets of rules. However, a truly coherent energy policy did not emerge until 2007 when the European Energy Strategy was first adopted. Current challenges include issues such as climate change and energy efficiency, the dependence on fossil fuel imports, the energy transition or the return of the US to fossil fuels.
Energy
The journey from a coal union to the energy transition
European leaders vow to boost North Sea wind energy production
Nine European countries have pledged to scale up wind power generation in the North Sea to further climate goals and move away from dependency on Russian fossil fuel supplies.
Sun, wind power make record 12% of world electricity: survey
Solar and wind energy surged to make a record 12% of the world's electricity in 2022, a climate think tank calculated -- though coal remained the leading source globally.
The ups and downs of the global nuclear industry
As Germany prepares to shut its last nuclear reactors for good, other countries are turning to nuclear as a means of boosting their energy independence and cutting fossil fuel emissions.
EU deal to nearly double renewable energy by 2030
The EU agrees a deal to almost double the share of renewables in the 27-nation bloc's energy consumption by 2030 amid efforts to become carbon neutral and ditch Russian fossil fuels.
Winter not over, but Europe braces for the next one
Europe has weathered the energy crisis that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine so far, but businesses and households are already thinking about how to get through the next winter.
EU gas price trends
The interactive map shows the increase in gas prices in the EU compared to the same month last year (indicates the individual increase in value for each EU country).