King's College London and the University's Security and Capitalism Research Group explore hegemonic dynamics in the European energy space

In a joint workshop, King’s College London and the “Security and Capitalism” Research Group at the University of Erfurt explored a European energy space in transition. Held on the 11th of October in the Weltbeziehungen building, the workshop focused on geoeconomics and hegemonic dynamics in the aftermath of the energy crisis of 2022. Key questions guiding the event were how the bloco storico changed thanks to the energy crisis, whether market dynamics shifted in conjunction with a change in the bloco storico, and to what extent new ideational factors come into play. 

The panels featured scholars from the Russia Institute and the Department of Political Economy at King’s College, the faculty of economics, law and social sciences at the university of Erfurt, the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, as well as from other German universities and think tanks. 

A first panel focused on regional energy trends, asking whether Russian gas could possibly return to Europe, the extent to which hydrogen has emerged a geostrategic concern for Europe, and how US energy policy may impact EU strategies. A second panel shifted the discussion to a theoretical angle, exploring the notion of hegemony and its analytical power for assessing current dynamics in gas and energy markets in Eurasia. A final panel focused on the future pathways of policy-making and geopolitical reordering in the energy transition. Clean tech and EVs featured in the discussion as did questions related to permitting in the renewables sector.

The workshop laid the ground for further collaboration in this important area, and for pushing the academic conversation on geoeconomics, hegemony and energy between Kings and the University of Erfurt.