Alison O'Connor: Coming winter will see issues on food security and fuel availability

Only a few years ago the very idea of food security was far from everyone's mind at EU level, writes Alison O'Connor

An oil rig near the town of Usinsk, 1,500 kilometres northeast of Moscow. The “weakness in the EU's system” of over-relying on Russian gas and oil has been laid bare. Picture: Dmitry Lovetsky/AP

Winter already felt like a depressing and expensive prospect, but a trip to EU headquarters in Brussels this week cemented the idea that animals who have the ability to hibernate are to be envied.

After a lengthy hiatus caused by the pandemic, groups of journalists are once again visiting the EU Commission and parliament for briefings on the current state of play.