Europe switches from 'energy policy' to 'energy ideology' — Kneissl

VIENNA, June 4. /TASS/. The development of the energy sector in Europe is based not on the principles of science or technology, but on ideological considerations, former Austrian Foreign Minister and energy expert Karin Kneissl said during the presentation of the German-language edition of her book "Requiem for Europe."

The event took place on June 2 at the Russian Embassy in Vienna. The former minister took part via video link.

"Unfortunately, today a lot of things in Europe are ideological. What should be a question of physics, chemistry, or common sense has become ideology. Energy has become an ideological topic," the former minister said. TASS has obtained a video recording of her speech.

She explained that for the past 20 years, Europe has essentially been focusing on climate policy, not energy policy.

"We no longer have real energy ministers. We have economy ministers who have little to do with energy. Many energy ministers are called climate ministers or energy transition ministers," Kneissl noted.

"The need to ensure energy security, to ensure energy supply for industrial enterprises and households, is not being addressed. The solution to these problems often comes down to the slogan: 'Everything must be green. Everything must be renewable,'" the expert explained.

According to her, no one is seriously considering the source of raw materials, for example, for solar panels.

"You won't encounter child labor in the oil industry, but when it comes to lithium, cobalt, and rare earth metals, the situation is completely different. Mines in the Congo and Central Africa often use methods that renewable energy advocates would prefer to ignore," Kneissl noted.