Energy, Climate Change and EU Development Policy

Abstract

Energy is a major focus of EU development policies due to the strong correlation between development and energy. In the context of the sustainability paradigm, energy has become even more important due to the sector’s central role in the fight against climate change. As the largest international donor, the EU contributes to the multilateral energy aid agenda with its own programs and initiatives. While their main purpose is development assistance in the traditional way, the growing economic and geopolitical influence of “emerging donors” and their alternative approach to development assistance, which is strongly beneficial to their own interests, has had an impact on EU development policies. Thus, this chapter analyzes European energy aid in the context of an increasingly climate change-focused multilateral development agenda and a changing geopolitical environment.