Science to guide EU energy transition policies on decarbonisation, energy security and affordability

The European Union has been developing policies and legislation on energy security and affordability since the first oil shock in 1973 and, more recently, has expanded its work on sustainability in response to the growing impacts of climate change. In 2015, the EU signed up to the Paris agreement to limit global warming and in 2019 introduced the EU Green Deal with the aim to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, whilst also addressing energy security and affordability. Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, priority has been given to energy security, which can be substantially improved by accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy supplies. Highlights from EASAC’s science-based advice for EU policy makers on energy sustainability, security and affordability during the energy transition are summarised in this paper.