Europe's Energy Security After Copenhagen: Time for a Retrofit?

Briefing Paper
John V Mitchell, December 2009

Traditional energy security has been about protecting 'adequate supplies of energy at affordable prices', i.e. 'business as usual', but these trends threaten climate security over the long term.
The European Union is committed to make drastic reductions in its greenhouse gas emissions by transforming the way it uses and supplies energy.
Policies to deal with disruptions will remain essential, but energy security policy needs to be adapted to address the risks of transforming the energy system.
Such a policy will need to show flexibility to respond to changing options; to support competition between new technologies; to manage the funds generated by carbon taxes and auctions of emissions permits; and to integrate the EU's moves with international developments.