IEA chief sharply criticized European energy policy

According to International Energy Agency (IEA) chief Fatih Birol, Europe is currently paying an unnecessarily high price for misguided energy policy. Birol sharply criticized Europe just hours after the EU finally agreed to ban all imports of Russian gas.

In an announcement published on 3 December, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament agreed to end gas imports from Russia by autumn 2027. For long-term contracts to purchase and import natural gas via pipeline, the ban will enter into force on 30 September 2027, provided member states are on track to meet the gas storage filling targets set out in the Gas Storage Regulation, and no later than 1 November 2027. This move will bring to an end six decades of trade relations which, in Fatih Birol’s words, put the EU “in a very bad situation”.

According to Birol, Europe made three major historical mistakes that, since February 2022, have laid the foundations for the difficult situation the continent finds itself in today.

“Excessive dependence on one country for energy ... moving away from nuclear energy ... neglecting solar photovoltaic manufacturing,” Birol said, adding that these factors put Europe at a disadvantage.

The IEA chief added that all three of these historical mistakes have one common denominator: Germany. At the height of the energy crisis, the EU’s largest consumer of Russian gas completed its decade-long phase-out of nuclear power plants, contrary to Birol’s recommendation.

“One of the weakest areas of European policy was energy policy. It was lazy, too laid-back, and in previous decades did not take energy security and affordability into account as it should have,” Birol said.