How has Russia’s invasion in Ukraine influenced the EU energy transition?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led the EU to more than double its subsidies for fossil fuels. At the same time, support for renewable energy was reduced, despite the European Commission raising renewable energy targets. This is the main message from a new study from Mistra Electrification produced by authors from IIIEE and Central European University (CEU). “Instead of accelerating the transition when Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU largely maintained its existing pace. The energy crisis led the European Commission to prioritise energy security over climate goals — but without increasing the speed toward fossil-free energy,” says Aleh Cherp, Professor of Strategic Environmental Assessment at IIIEE and co-author of the study. “The crisis led neither to a faster nor to a slower transition,” says Anastasia Pavlenko, lead author of the study and researcher at Central European University in Austria.

• Read the study here. (In English and open access)
• Swedish Radio interviews Aleh Cherp in the news on 16th February, here. (In Swedish only)
• Newspaper article in Aftonbladet, here. (In Swedish only)