Archive / Other publications
European Energy Security: balancing Priorities
17/05/2007 By John Gault
Europe has even broader goals than the delivery of "sustainable, secure and competitive energy”.
Those who focus some of their professional time on questions of energy security may be excused for imagining that security takes precedence over other social requirements.
In the real world of democratic politics, of course, priorities are set not by specialists but by the political process.
Specialists can contribute to this process by observing and drawing attention to political trends that may influence the chances for achieving consensus around any combination of policies.
And also help by pointing out the inevitable costs and trade-offs inherent in each proposed policy, so the democratic process can be based on informed consent.
This essay recalls some of the political trends, policy costs and trade-offs that will influence the balancing of EU energy policy priorities.
Download the full version of this publication, available in English (68 kB)
To read or listen to the comments of our experts in the media about this and other topics, please visit our Press section.
Keywords
Energy Security European UnionRelated publications
Bio author: John Gault
