EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall has warned of potential worsening consequences for Europe stemming from the aftermath of the Iranian crisis. In a guest contribution, she expressed concern that mounting chaos looms over the continent, potentially posing catastrophic long-term threats to the European economy, the green transition, food security, and foundational technologies like semiconductor manufacturing.
Roswall notes that recent events have demonstrated how global supply chains can be weaponized in an increasingly hostile world. While these geopolitical shocks occurred largely beyond the direct control of the EU, she asserts that their impact was entirely foreseeable.
From these crises, the Commissioner identifies two crucial lessons the EU must apply. First, Europe remains dangerously dependent on natural gas, crude oil, and derived petroleum products, a dependency Roswall calls “toxic”. She argued that overcoming this dependence is essential, adding that the cheapest oil is the oil that is never used at all. The second lesson emphasizes the necessity of recovering and reusing critical and strategic raw materials, rather than simply discarding them, to prevent supply chain bottlenecks.
Pressing for accelerated change, Roswall stated that current progress is “too slow and too sporadic”. She reminded readers that the European industry possesses significant untapped capacity and could rapidly ramp up production, thereby building greater resilience against geopolitical uncertainties and volatile global markets. According to the Commissioner, it is time for the EU to embrace the circular economy not merely as an environmental measure, but as a fundamental opportunity for prosperity-an investment in the continent’s future and a vital buffer against the next global crisis.
