‘Energy remains the main obstacle to our competitiveness and independence’ (U. von der Leyen)

“Energy is now the main obstacle to our competitiveness and independence. European prices remain two to three times higher than in the United States and China. And more than half of the energy we consume still depends on imported fossil fuels. This is a costly dependence. Since the start of the crisis in the Middle East, this dependence has already cost us an additional €50 billion - without us receiving a single extra molecule of energy. “We must therefore produce our own low-carbon energy in Europe,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, on 26 August 2026, during her speech at the REF (Rencontre des entrepreneurs de France), organised by the French business association Medef.

Nevertheless, the head of the European Commission insists that carbon neutrality by…