Europe

After elections in Sweden and Italy last year that brought significant gains to a right-wing populist party in the former and led to a far-right populist government in the latter, the EU faces crucial elections in the Czech Republic, Poland and potentially Slovakia in 2023. Their outcomes may have important implications for the EU as they could further strengthen Europe’s populist, illiberal coalitions across Europe.

With the continuation of Russian aggression in Ukraine and the decrease of temporary foreign energy supplies, the end of the European energy crisis does not seem to be in sight even as we enter 2023. While the question of European energy independence remains unanswered, an old but successful technology used abroad lurks in the background as a possible solution. Considering the current geopolitical situation, local energy resources have never been more vital to European national security than they are now, which is why hydraulic fracturing technology needs to be put on the table if we wish to end the year-long energy crisis.

Throughout the past years, the “Eastern Mediterranean Pipeline,” an ambitious pipeline project launched in 2020 following the agreement signed in Athens by Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, has frequently appeared in international news, particularly those concerning the oil and gas industry. According to the original plans, the pipeline should transport natural gas from the Israeli gas field Leviathan through the Cypriot one, Aphrodite, to Greece and then to neighboring Italy as well as other European countries. Undoubtedly, it seemed the perfect alternative to decrease the EU’s dependence on Russian gas. But what caused the project’s demise?