Geopolitics of Energy: European Union-Middle East Relations Post-Ukraine Crisis

In her political guidelines for 2024 to 2029, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced the need for a wider, comprehensive EU-Middle East strategy. This necessity was driven primarily by the changing power balance within the Middle East, as well as the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and, more importantly, the EU’s own quest for a greater role in the region. The Ukraine crisis reached an inflection point for the EU, in which energy security and diversification of resources became critical to policymaking. As an energy-rich, relatively close region, the Middle East is poised to play a potentially important role in Europe’s future energy security. While the Middle East has been a cornerstone of the European energy landscape, changing geopolitics in the region have resulted in a sense of vulnerability for the EU. This paper analyses the EU’s external energy policies and the role of the Middle East in Europe’s energy security. It examines the challenges and opportunities the EU faces in the region as it pursues the policy of energy diversification.