Europe wakes up to the energy question

ENERGY is again back on the political agenda in Europe. Aside from connected issues, such as climate change, with which the EU has been concerned for some time, politicians in Brussels are looking seriously at the routes of energy supply to Europe.

Addressing an EU energy conference in Athens last month, Rolf Linkohr, a member of the European parliament and president of the European Energy Foundation, was explicit about the growing political significance of energy in the EU. Energy is the cornerstone of Europe's integration, Linkohr said, adding that he believed energy should form a major plank of the EU's common foreign policy. Raised eyebrows However, mention of an EU common foreign policy raises eyebrows in several member countries, notably the UK. As yet, no common foreign policy exists in the EU. And it is unlikely that the UK, or France for that matter, would readily support the linking of energy policy to any nascent EU forei