Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics

Europe’s green transition may reduce dependence on fossil fuels, but it could also create new vulnerabilities through reliance on critical minerals. These new geopolitical dependencies were the focus of the 2026 SITE Energy Talk. In the new policy brief, SITE researchers Chloé Le Coq, Elena Paltseva, and Jesper Roine explain why control over mineral supply chains is becoming a major geopolitical issue and summarise the main takeaways from this event.

A disruption thousands of miles away in the Strait of Hormuz sent a clear warning to Europe: its energy system remains too fragile, even after it moved away from Russian supplies. SITE researchers Chloé Le Coq and Elena Paltseva show how the February 2026 shock exposed the risks of relying on global gas markets - and why that dependence threatens not just energy security, but Europe's entire decarbonization pathway.

Economic inequality is not just a moral issue – it directly affects how markets function and grow. New insights from Jesper Roine, Deputy Director at SITE, show why understanding inequality as a combination of flows of income and ownership of wealth is key to understanding modern economies.

Sanctions are tightening the pressure on Russia’s war economy, even if official figures still suggest resilience. At a recent seminar hosted by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Torbjörn Becker, Director of the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE), argued that the real test is not whether sanctions end the war overnight, but how much they weaken the Kremlin’s ability to finance it.

Ukraine’s experience shows that modern conflict is not only about bombs and soldiers, but also about cyberattacks, disinformation, and efforts to weaken public trust. These threats are not costless to ignore. This new policy brief analysis, by Anna Anisimova (SITE) and Ksenia Rundin (CSSC) highlights that failing to address antagonistic information threats carries growing economic and governance costs. It argues that cyber and information resilience should be treated as essential public infrastructure, not as a secondary policy issue.