THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. Reforming Europe in a time of war

33 Europe’s moment of truth on its way to the moon. The EU’s energy and climate policies are put to the test. The result could be a genuine Energy Union Claudia Detsch After the financial and euro crises and the coronavirus pandemic, the next moment of truth is approaching for the European Union. When meagre gas supplies have to be shared in winter, it will become clear as to whether Europe is capable of a truly European moment. Intra-Eu- ropean solidarity will be severely tested in the coming months. If we succeed in jointly cushioning the hardships and protecting both the population and industry, the cur- rent emergency plans could lay the foundation for further development into an Energy Union.There is no alternative to this if we are to position the European economy inno- vatively and competitively on the world stage in terms of a far-sighted structural policy, with a cutting-edge infra- structure and forward-looking industries. However, if we don’t succeed, in autumn there threatens a fatal round of mutual accusations and recrim- inations. Intra-European solidarity and joint efforts would fall by the wayside. The consequences for the EU would be catastrophic. Putin’s plan would have succeeded, he would have used his war in Ukraine to simultaneously shoot the EU to pieces. It would be left weakened and vulnerable to further attacks for the foreseeable future. The EU prides itself on being at its best when it is under pressure. If this is true, then we are going to face a real push towards integration.And it will be fuelled by a turn- around in energy policy. In the future, committed and self-confident energy diplomacy will be needed externally, as will reforms inter- nally. The structure of laws and responsibilities between the European Union and the Member States should be fundamentally rethought and reshaped. At the end of this process there must be a genuine ‘Energy Union’. In the future, Europe’s independence and sovereignty in terms of energy policy should once again set the course for common policy. This was the case in 1951 with the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Commu- nity (ECSC) and in 1957 with the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC). The Importance of Russia for Europe’s Energy Supply Until now, we have assumed that energy policy should be guided by a strategic triad of objectives: security of supply, climate protection, and competitiveness. In