Argument<\/p>\n
An expert\u2019s point of view on a current event.<\/p>\n
The Transatlantic Energy Relationship Is Stronger Than Ever<\/p>\n
And here\u2019s how to make U.S.-European energy ties even more resilient.<\/p>\n
By\u00a0Stavros Papastavrou, Greece\u2019s minister of environment and energy<\/em>.<\/p>\n 2025 was a decisive year in the evolution of the transatlantic energy relationship. What began as an emergency response to Europe\u2019s sudden exposure to severe energy disruptions following Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 matured into a long-term strategic realignment. The Sixth Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation, which took place in Athens in November, underscored this shift, bringing together energy ministers, senior U.S. officials, and private-sector leaders to focus on diversifying Europe\u2019s energy supply.<\/p>\n Now, the challenge before Europe and the United States is to move beyond conceptual alignment and ensure the practical delivery of infrastructure, markets, and investment that can sustain Europe\u2019s energy security for decades to come.<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s decision to unwind its dependence on Russian gas, which began in 2022, was both strategic and moral. For years, the continent\u2019s energy model rested on an assumption that proved fragile: Inexpensive Russian supplies were treated as a given. The full consequences of that dependence became undeniable when Russia turned energy into an instrument of political pressure by curtailing pipeline flows, manipulating contract terms, and weaponizing supply disruptions to extract concessions from European states.<\/p>\n Europe chose a different path, acknowledging that economic convenience could no longer override strategic vulnerability.\u00a0In 2021, Russia supplied around 40 percent of the European Union\u2019s gas imports; by 2024, that number had fallen to around\u00a011 percent<\/a>. Last week, the EU\u00a0formally adopted<\/a>\u00a0binding rules to phase out Russian gas imports entirely\u2014with liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports banned from early 2027 and pipeline gas imports prohibited later that year.<\/p>\n Amid this transition, the United States stepped up decisively. The surge of U.S. LNG that reached Europe in 2022 and 2023 helped stabilize markets at a moment of acute stress, but the significance of the U.S. role has grown well beyond emergency relief. U.S. energy has become a structural pillar of Europe\u2019s security architecture. In 2024, the United States was the EU\u2019s largest supplier of LNG, accounting for nearly 45 percent of the bloc\u2019s total LNG imports. In 2025, the U.S. share of the EU\u2019s LNG imports approached nearly 60 percent, underscoring the deepening transatlantic energy integration.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n This progress has required sustained leadership on both sides of the Atlantic. The United States recognized that supporting Europe\u2019s energy transition would strengthen both Europe\u2019s resilience and the cohesion of the transatlantic alliance.<\/p>\n The\u00a0joint statement<\/a>\u00a0that U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and I issued at the summit in November reflects this shift. We emphasized long-term alignment on energy security, cooperation on infrastructure and technology, and a shared view of energy as a pillar of strategic security rather than a transactional commodity. During my visit to Washington in December, this shift was once again reaffirmed in every meeting I had with White House officials and members of Congress.<\/p>\n Greece\u2019s rise within this new landscape is one of the most consequential and least anticipated developments of the past several years. A country once viewed as peripheral to Europe\u2019s energy system has moved to its center. Greece is now a\u00a0critical entry point<\/a>\u00a0for U.S. LNG into Europe. In 2025,\u00a0more than 80 percent<\/a>\u00a0of Greece\u2019s LNG imports came from the United States, nearly double the level from the previous year. Meanwhile, the Revythousa \u00a0LNG terminal outside Athens and the new floating regasification unit in\u00a0Alexandroupoli<\/a>\u00a0have become major stabilizing assets for Europe\u2019s central and southeastern states.<\/p>\n This transformation is not a matter of geography; it is the result of Greece\u2019s deliberate policy choices, regulatory reform, and timely execution. In 2020, Greece imported roughly 6 billion cubic meters of gas and exported almost none. By 2024, it became a net energy exporter for the first time in its modern history: That year, inflows exceeded\u00a017 billion cubic meters,<\/a>\u00a011 billion of which were reexported to neighboring countries. Greece is no longer a consumer at the edge of the system. It is a co-architect of Europe\u2019s new energy map, a nation increasingly relied upon by its neighbors for stability, access, and connectivity.<\/p>\n This policy shift driven by Greece\u2019s government and our partners across the region has already had tangible impacts for European consumers. Market volatility\u00a0has eased<\/a>\u00a0as diversified supply reduces vulnerability to external manipulation. Predictions that severing dependence on Russian gas would harm European competitiveness have not materialized.<\/p>\n Still, affordability remains a challenge. Even as\u00a0wholesale gas prices have fallen<\/a>\u00a0from the peaks seen in 2022, they remain well above pre-crisis levels, reinforcing the need for sufficient supply, competitive LNG markets, and cross-border connections that allow energy to flow where it is most needed.<\/p>\n That is why Europe is prioritizing the construction of the Vertical Corridor, a pipeline network linking Greece to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Ukraine. When\u00a0fully operational<\/a>, it will allow non-Russian gas to reach up to 100 million Europeans.\u00a0For Ukraine, the corridor is not merely an energy project but a strategic lifeline, anchoring its future within a secure European system.\u00a0The next steps are to expand commercial memorandums of understanding, harmonize regulation, and accelerate technical upgrades so that the corridor functions as a true backbone of Europe\u2019s diversified supply.<\/p>\n On Greece\u2019s part, we have a market environment that is encouraging long-term investment. The government and private sector\u2019s\u00a0partnerships<\/a>\u00a0with companies such as ExxonMobil, Helleniq Energy, and Energean are advancing offshore exploration, with a view to beginning drilling in 18 months in the northwest Ionian Sea. Likewise, the Chevron-Helleniq Energy\u00a0joint venture<\/a>\u00a0aims to accelerate seismic surveys in 2026 south of Crete and the Peloponnese.<\/p>\n For Greece, this is not a rejection of the transition to renewable energy but an effort to manage it responsibly. A reliable supply of energy remains essential during the transition period, especially as Europe grapples with the three-pillared challenge of decarbonization, affordability, and security.<\/p>\n And Greece\u2019s renewable energy transition is already well underway: In 2024, renewables supplied more than half of the country\u2019s electricity generation, driven by record additions of wind, solar, and hydro capacity. Under the\u00a0revised national energy and climate plan<\/a>, Greece is aiming for 82 percent of its electricity generation to come from renewable sources by 2030.<\/p>\n Greece\u2019s domestic strategy reflects a broader philosophy that is increasingly relevant across Europe. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has avoided framing energy policy as a choice between ideological purity and practical necessity. Instead, he has pursued a balanced path of expanding renewable energy, modernizing the grid, and investing in regional interconnections, all while ensuring that natural gas remains available and affordable as the continent moves toward its climate objectives.<\/p>\n There is also a more profound shift under way. Energy is becoming the hidden foundation of technological power. Artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and cloud infrastructure all require vast amounts of reliable, low-cost energy. Access to such energy will help determine which regions lead in innovation and which fall behind. Europe\u2019s ability to compete in the AI-driven global economy depends on securing abundant and stable power. In this respect, Greece\u2019s emergence as a regional energy hub intersects directly with Europe\u2019s technological future. The infrastructure and human-capital skills now being built are not only an engine of security but a platform for long-term competitiveness.<\/p>\n Taken together, these developments underscore the need to quickly translate transatlantic energy cooperation from shared intent into tangible outcomes. First, European governments and EU institutions must invest decisively in LNG infrastructure, including additional regasification capacity and storage. These investments are needed and needed at pace.<\/p>\n Second, EU member states and regional partners should deepen participation in regional corridors, including expanded memorandums of understanding for the Vertical Corridor and accelerated permitting for interconnections, which entails streamlining environmental and regulatory approvals, shortening timelines for cross-border infrastructure, and harmonizing technical standards to allow projects to move from planning to construction without delay.<\/p>\n Third, policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic need to support stronger U.S.-European economic integration by institutionalizing cooperation on LNG trade, hydrogen value chains, grid resilience, and regulatory alignment. These steps will provide markets with the long-term signals needed to mobilize private capital.<\/p>\n Greece intends to remain a leading contributor to this effort. Our unique geographic position at the intersection of Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East\u2014as well as our global leadership in shipping capacity\u2014brings with it both substantial opportunities and important responsibilities. We are committed to continuing to act as a bridge between regions, a reliable partner for allies, and a constructive voice in shaping Europe\u2019s collective energy future.<\/p>\n The deeper lesson of the current moment is clear. When nations align their priorities, invest in shared infrastructure, and place trust at the center of their cooperation, they can build resilience even in times of profound global instability.<\/p>\n 2025 may ultimately be seen not only as the year when Europe accelerated its separation from Russian gas, but also as the moment when the transatlantic partnership entered a new phase, defined by long-term strategic vision. The task for 2026 is to turn alignment into durable progress. Greece, the United States, and our European partners must work together, project by project, corridor by corridor\u2014so that the energy connecting our nations secures prosperity and stability for generations to come.<\/p>\n My FP:<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers.\u00a0Subscribe Now<\/a><\/p>\n Stavros Papastavrou<\/strong>\u00a0is Greece\u2019s minister of environment and energy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Argument An expert\u2019s point of view on a current event. The Transatlantic Energy Relationship Is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":267751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[295],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-271705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy-english"],"yoast_head":"\n