The winter cold has come, and Europe has stayed warm. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has slashed its reliance on Russian gas, with overall natural gas consumption declining by more than 7% in 2023 compared to 2022. Wind and solar energy generation surpassed fossil fuels for the first time, accounting for a third of the EU’s electricity production.
Importantly, too, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania this month completed a switch from Russia’s electricity grid to the EU’s system, severing Soviet-era ties amid heightened security after the suspected sabotage of several subsea cables and pipelines. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the move as marking a new era of freedom for the region, in a speech at a ceremony in Vilnius alongside the leaders of the three countries and the Polish president.
Despite these advancements, European industry…
