How does the Search for Energy Security Affect EU Policies in Other Issue-Areas?

This policy brief addresses the question of how the EU’s search for energy security does – or does not – affect  EU  policies in other  areas.  Due to the fact that the EU  has to import  energy commodities to meet  its energy  needs, and that coping  with  the challenge of energy  supply   is defined as one of the three main goals of the EU’s energy policy , the focus of this brief will be on the issue  areas  that  may  affect the EU’s   relations  with the main  suppliers  of  energy. When  designing  and  implementing  energy security policy, one has to address at least four issues: availability,  affordability, energy efficiency and  stewardship. Availability relates to the relative independence of and diversification of  energy fuels and services; affordability means not just lower but also stable prices and equitable access to energy services. Efficiency has to do with improved performance and the deployment of  more  efficient  energy  equipment  and  changes  in social behaviour. Stewardship  focuses on the question of sustainability, ensuring that energy systems are socially  acceptable and not  harmful  to  the  environment. One could also expect that when addressing energy security related questions, the EU could also be guided by values and norms that the Union itself preaches, linking for instance energy trade with the issue of human rights.