In a press conference following an emergency European Commission meeting, the EU President directly linked the ongoing Iran conflict (which has disrupted oil and gas flows via the Strait of Hormuz) to Europe’s energy costs.

She highlighted a €22 billion ($25.7 billion) surge in the bloc’s fossil fuel import bills in just 44 days and used the moment to reaffirm the EU’s long-term decarbonization push.

She stated: “We are paying a very high price for our global dependency on fossil fuels, and the grim reality for our continent is fossil fuel energy will remain the most expensive option in the years to come. Therefore, our strategy to decarbonize has not only been confirmed in the last years, but is growing in importance day by day.”

“We are paying a very high price for our global dependency on fossil fuels, and the grim reality for our continent is fossil fuel energy will remain the most expensive option in the years to come. Therefore, our strategy to decarbonize has not only been confirmed in the last years, but is growing in importance day by day.”

She also pushed for member states to coordinate on energy prices, lower taxes on electricity (to favor it over fossils), accelerate an “electrification strategy,” and use tools like the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to support the shift.

She also announced:

• Member states must coordinate on energy prices, gas storage, and oil stock releases.
• The Commission will present a dedicated electrification strategy (with a new electrification target) before summer.
• Calls to lower taxes on electricity and accelerate the shift away from fossils.

This echoes earlier comments from EU officials (including energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen and executive vice president Teresa Ribera) framing the crisis as validation for faster renewables, “homegrown” clean energy, and reduced fossil imports—similar to the response after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The conflict has spiked global oil and gas prices (gas up sharply, oil affected by Hormuz disruptions, a key chokepoint for ~20% of world oil).

Europe, still reliant on imports despite post-Russia diversification (more US LNG, etc.), faces its second major energy crisis in four years. Short-term effects include higher bills for households and industry; longer-term risks involve prolonged market tightness if infrastructure damage lingers.

EU leaders have discussed reviving 2022-style measures (price caps, demand reduction, stock releases) while insisting the long-term fix is decarbonization via wind, solar, nuclear (with some renewed interest), and electrification—not ramping up domestic fossil production or long-term fossil contracts.

Critics note this has left Europe exposed repeatedly because of restrictions on its own oil/gas/coal/nuclear development under the Green Deal and related policies.

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EU President Uses Iran War To Double Down On Plan To ‘Decarbonize’ Continent

European Union President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that the conflict between the United States and Iran “confirmed” the EU’s plans to “decarbonize” the continent. The Daily Caller has the story.

President Donald Trump announced the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to ships that paid Iran a “toll” for passage through the maritime chokepoint early Sunday, with the blockade starting at 10:00 a.m.

Monday Eastern time. Von der Leyen said in the statement that Europe was “paying a high price” for its need for fossil fuels, citing the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. 

(RELATED: Watch Fox News Host’s Face As Trump Tells Her Gas Prices Might Go ‘A Little Bit Higher’)

“The Strait of Hormuz is essentially closed, and immediately citizens feel the impact at the gas station, in the supermarket and on the household bills. So what we are seeing in the Middle East is not some distant crisis, but in a world in which everything is connected, the effects are direct and they are immediate and this is, as I said, the second fossil fuel crisis in just a few years,” von der Leyen said. “

There’s one thing that all these events make clear we are paying a very high price for our overdependency on fossil fuels and the grim reality for our continent is fossil fuel energy will remain the most expensive option in the years to come.”

Oil prices have climbed from the market’s $67.02 close on Feb. 27, closing at $104.73 on Monday, an increase of more than 50% since the start of Operation Epic Fury. Von der Leyen urged Europe to continue on its course of shedding reliance on fossil fuels.

Read the full story here.

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The European Green Deal (EGD) is the European Union’s flagship growth strategy, launched by the European Commission in December 2019 under President Ursula von der Leyen.

It aims to transform the EU into the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050, while making the economy more sustainable, resource-efficient, and competitive. It touches nearly every sector: energy, transport, industry, agriculture, buildings, and finance.

Climate neutrality by 2050: Net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (no net addition to the atmosphere after accounting for removals).

2030 interim target: At least 55% reduction in net GHG emissions compared to 1990 levels (raised from an earlier 40% goal via the “Fit for 55” package).

2040 target: 90% reduction (added via amendment to the European Climate Law in 2026).

Broader goals: Cut pollution, restore biodiversity and ecosystems, shift to a circular economy (reuse, repair, recycle), decouple economic growth from resource use, and ensure a “just transition” that leaves no person or region behind.

The European Climate Law (2021) makes the 2050 neutrality goal legally binding and requires progress reviews.

In summary, the Green Deal is an ambitious, economy-wide transformation plan centered on rapid decarbonization.