The European Union’s Energy Security Challenges

Recent increases in energy prices and a steady escalation in global energy demand-expected to rise by nearly 60 percent over the next twenty years-have led U.S. policymakers to engage in a wide-ranging debate over how best to address the country's future energy requirements. Similarly, energy security has become a policy priority for the European Union (EU) and its twenty-seven member states. Together, the United States and Europe represent the world's largest energy market. Although they produce approximately 23 percent of the world's energy, they consume almost 40 percent of the world's supply.