Geopolitics of EU Energy Security: Foundations and Challenges Course

Undergraduate Course (Bachelor’s Level)

This course introduces undergraduate students to the foundations of the geopolitics of energy security within the European Union. It offers a broad understanding of the historical evolution of EU energy policy, strategic infrastructure, regulatory development, and external energy relations. The course is case-study driven, examining critical moments where geopolitics and energy intersect.

Learning Outcomes

  • Understand the historical development and geopolitical dimensions of EU energy policy.
  • Identify internal and external risks affecting the EU’s energy security posture.
  • Analyse the impact of crises and infrastructure on the EU’s strategic positioning.
  • Assess how regulation, market integration, and foreign policy shape energy security.

Assessment

Class Participation (25%), Case Study Report (25%), Final Essay (50%)

Structure

  1. The EU’s Energy Puzzle: Strategic Geography and Political Vulnerabilities
  2. Energy Crises That Changed Europe: From OPEC to Ukraine
  3. Pipeline Power: Why Routes Matter More Than Reserves
  4. Gas as a Weapon: Europe’s Dependence and Russian Leverage
  5. The Green Deal and Its Enemies: Balancing Climate and Security
  6. LNG Politics: Can Floating Terminals Replace Pipelines?
  7. Infrastructure as Strategy: Sabotage, Cyber Threats, and Protection
  8. Borderlands and Buffer Zones: Eastern Europe’s Role in EU Energy Security
  9. Regulation or Geopolitics? How the EU Makes Energy Rules
  10. Strategic Partnerships and Energy Diplomacy: Africa, Caspian, Gulf
  11. Scenario Lab – Energy Crisis in 2030: A Simulation of EU Response

Graduate Course (Master’s Level)

This graduate-level course offers a critical and strategic approach to the geopolitics of EU energy security. It focuses on the interaction between energy governance, regulatory power, strategic dependencies, and global realignments. Students will explore how the EU navigates crises, asserts regulatory influence, and balances decarbonisation with resilience in a contested international environment.

Learning Outcomes

  • Analyse the EU’s energy security posture through the lens of global power competition.
  • Assess the limits and strengths of EU energy diplomacy and regulatory reach.
  • Critique institutional responses to major disruptions and vulnerabilities.
  • Design strategic responses and evaluate policy scenarios within multipolar energy orders.

Assessment

Class Participation (25%), Case Study Report (25%), Final Essay (50%)

  1. Energy Security as Grand Strategy: What Role for the EU in a Multipolar World?
  2. Crisis and Continuity: How OPEC, Ukraine, and COVID Reshaped EU Energy Thinking
  3. The Strategic Logic of Infrastructure: Control, Risk, and Resilience
  4. Energy as Statecraft: Russia, Sanctions, and the EU’s Response Toolkit
  5. The Political Economy of LNG: Markets, Shipping Routes, and Investment Politics
  6. Cyber-Security and Hybrid Threats to EU Energy Infrastructure
  7. Legal Instruments and Soft Power: Internal Market Law, Trade Agreements, and the ECT
  8. Global Engagements: EU Energy Relations with the Gulf, Maghreb, and Indo-Pacific
  9. The Politics of Regulation: Strategic Autonomy vs Market Liberalism
  10. Climate Geopolitics: The EU’s Role in the Global Energy Transition
  11. Scenario Lab – A Strategic Energy Crisis: EU Council Response Planning
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