The Energy Security in Five EU Countries between 2000 and 2020: France, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Portugal

Energy security has become a key issue for the EU, whose legislative production in the area is constantly growing. How are Member States responding to energy security challenges? This study examines the energy security evolution of five Member States between 2000 and 2020: France, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Portugal. The literature covered by the study describes a recent field that is characterized by its multidimensional aspect. The choice was made to study energy security through four dimensions (energy efficiency, affordability, availability, and environmental stewardship) which were the base of the eight indicators’ index that was developed in this work. The latter, constructed using the z-score normalization method, revealed progress for the EU as a whole but different dynamics within the five countries studied. The EU energy security trend is characterized by an improvement in the Energy Efficiency and Environmental Stewardship dimensions, but also by a deterioration in the Affordability dimension. As for the Availability dimension, the European average improved in one indicator but deteriorated in the other. On the other hand, the index showed a greater improvement in France and Portugal’s energy security compared to the EU evolution. In contrast, the energy security of Hungary, Poland and Germany improved, but to a smaller extent than the EU average. Additionally, the examination of performance in the selected indicators enabled us to identify points of weakness as well as European or national policies that have aimed to mitigate these weaknesses.