Europe's Energy Trilemma

The European Union’s energy landscape is transforming rapidly, as the bloc works to reduce emissions, lower energy prices, and decrease dependence on Russian fuel—three goals proving to be a challenge. 

Though renewables now generate nearly half of Europe's electricity, significant challenges remain. Lengthy permitting processes are stalling the deployment of new clean generation and infrastructure and the continent requires improvements in energy system interconnections between countries. And questions remain about the role of certain forms of energy, like nuclear power and hydrogen, in Europe's future energy mix.

So how is Europe addressing these competing priorities? And what do certain trade-offs mean for energy affordability, security, and economic competitiveness? 

This week host Jason Bordoff talks with Dan Jørgensen, the new European commissioner for energy and housing. 

Commissioner Jørgensen previously served as Danish minister for development cooperation and minister for global climate policy. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Denmark and was a member of the Danish parliament from 2015 to 2024. 

Credits: Hosted by Jason Bordoff and Bill Loveless. Produced by Erin Hardick, Mary Catherine O’Connor, Caroline Pitman, and Kyu Lee. Engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive producer.