Anchoring European energy partnerships in a changing geopolitical context

Energy resources and technologies are now more coveted than ever given their critical role in meeting countries’ energy needs and controlling strategic supply chains. Against this backdrop, this paper explores how Europe, France and Germany should navigate their energy partnerships. They must strike a balance between addressing security concerns – both its own and those of its partners – and boosting trade and industrial exchanges to strengthen competitiveness by consolidating the European industrial base. Europe must make strategic decisions about which
resources to exploit for critical purposes, which to protect and, above all, how to promote recycling industries and the circular economy to structurally reduce demand for minerals. A roadmap could help to identify and focus on key drivers of Europe’s attractiveness.