The solution to energy-souvereinty obscured by the future

The role of energy security in Hungary‘s National Security Strategy

Abstract

On 21 April 2020, Hungary's new National Security Strategy was released, in which the issues of energy, energy security, and related climate change are given a much more prominent role than in its predecessors. The document represents a modern, 21st-century approach to this topic, but a number of contradictions can also be discovered. For example, it raises questions about the extent to which the Paks investment will be able to live up to expectations in meeting decarbonisation targets. The fact that Hungary's strategic reserve is based on coal-based technology is not in line with the modern approach either. The document – with a few exceptions – basically meets the requirements of a modern interpretation of energy security, is in line with the security perceptions of the two most important international organizations for Hungary's security, the EU and NATO, and the Hungarian sectoral strategy documents. The priorities of security risks do not reflect the security perception of Hungarian society.