Embracing Disruption
Energizing autonomy: Europe’s new power play
Europe has entered a moment in which sovereignty is no longer a lofty political ideal but a pressing strategic imperative. The continent’s vulnerability was laid bare in 2022 when Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine exposed how decades of reliance on imported fossil fuels – especially natural gas – could swiftly turn into economic fragility. At the peak, Russian gas accounted for nearly 50% of EU gas imports, a share that has since fallen to around 12%, but the shock revealed how precarious such dependence can be. Price spikes, inflationary pressures, and industrial uncertainty spread across the continent.