10. Strategic implications for Europe

Europe is increasingly dependent on oil and gas imports. The European Commission estimates that oil dependence has reached 90%, and gas dependence could reach 70% by 2030. The drastic reduction in imports from Russia has no major consequences for oil (Russia exports its oil to China, India and a few other countries that import less from the Middle East, for example, freeing up production for Europe). The situation is more complex for gas. The European Union is coping with the drop in imports from Russia by reducing its consumption, developing LNG imports, particularly from the United States, and developing renewable energies.

But increased imports, for example from West Africa and the Middle East, could be threatened by acts of piracy off the African coast. Europe should therefore become more involved in securing hydrocarbon supplies in this new geopolitical situation....