Podcast: Fragile ceasefire, fragile energy system — how can European consumers cope?

Published on 04/10/2026 - 9:30 GMT+2

After six weeks of struggle successful the Middle East, the United States (US) and Iran reached a ceasefire connected Tuesday. But it is hanging connected a thread.

US President Donald Trump announced the truce connected his societal media level Truth, claiming it was made connected the information of Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a cardinal way for planetary lipid transport.

The ceasefire nevertheless is precise fragile. On Thursday, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz successful effect to Israeli attacks successful Lebanon. At the aforesaid time, Trump said American forces volition stay "in place" until the Islamic Republic afloat complies with the "real" ceasefire agreement.

In this fast-changing context, Brussels, My Love? looks into the vigor situation arising from instability successful the region. With guests Frederico Oliveira da Silva, caput of vigor astatine BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation, Dimitar Lilkov, elder probe serviceman astatine the Wilfried Martens Centre and Marta Pacheco, EU vigor and biology newsman astatine Euronews, we instrumentality a look astatine what the instability means for our pockets.

The vigor crisis

According to Lilkov, fragile is not lone the close adjective to picture the ceasefire. “Fragile besides applies to the full strategy of vigor information oregon vigor insecurity we have,” helium said.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the weeks of the struggle has pushed European leaders to reconsider their countries' dependence connected imported oil. But vigor instability is not new.

“Before the Iran war, we (EU countries) were already dealing with the home vigor crisis,” Pacheco explained.

“So astatine this constituent we spot we had the home situation that grew into a planetary vigor crisis,” she added.

What should the European consumers do?

According to Oliveira da Silva, it’s inactive hard to measure however atrocious the vigor situation is, but Europeans are already paying immoderate of its costs. “Consumers are rather acrophobic due to the fact that prices person already increased,” helium said.

In his opinion, however, this situation has a solution and a mode forward: “It's important that determination is simply a unanimous enactment astatine the EU level, astatine the subordinate authorities level, that the mode to forestall this from happening successful the aboriginal is with the decarbonisation of our system and getting escaped of fossil fuels,” helium said.

A modulation that, according to Lilkov, is rather analyzable to enactment into practice: “We request to beryllium pursuing some investing successful renewables and decarbonisation, but besides being mindful that astir of our economy, unfortunately, is inactive acceptable connected fossil fuels.”

Listen to the podcast successful the subordinate supra oregon wherever you get your podcasts.

Additional sources • Georgios Leivaditis, dependable editing and mixing.