The Global Conservative Turn, Europe’s Energy Transition and Russia
摘要
The global conservative turn is reshaping and creating new challenges for the EU’s renewable energy transition. This article examines how far-right parties perceive Russia as an energy supplier and their stance on energy transition and climate mitigation. Given the Kremlin’s strategy of targeting far-right movements in European countries to influence public perceptions within society, this analysis will concentrate on discourses from Estonia (EKRE), Finland (The Finns Party) and Germany (AfD) in the context of the post-2022 Russian aggression against Ukraine. To approach this topic, empirical material from national parliamentary sessions and party manifestos are analysed through the lenses of critical geopolitics. The research highlights the similarities that far-right parties have in criticising, or even denying, climate change and climate action. The stance toward Russia varies between strong opposition (EKRE/The Finns Party), and calls for economic rapprochement (AfD). The shared discourses of far-right parties regarding climate policy and energy transition could significantly shape the EU’s future approach to climate action and towards Russian energy trade.